The tale of two caffeine addicts
by youngwriter56
Summary: Serendipity was a quaint store, barely noticeable, but once noticed was unforgettable. What happens when a coffee expert like Draco Malfoy notices this coffee shop? Will he also notice the Ginny Weasley, the coffee genius owner of Serendipity? fluffy. :
1. Maduro Blend

**The tale of two caffeine addicts.**

Hello my fellow fanfic-ers! Yes. My username has been in hibernation. And a new story does not mean that I have been away at some fanfiction how-to boot camp and have returned, goddess of stories. It means I have been on… vacation. Heh. Heh. Well I'm back. And my head's a little fuzzy. So bear with me while I whip up this story from my caffeine inspiration.

Recently, I've become a caffeine addict and I have thought of this story while sipping a nice warm cup of cappuccino.

I'm thinking of this really neat and creative idea of naming all the chapters to a specific Peet's coffee blend. And if you have no idea what I'm saying by Peet's coffee, SHAME ON YOU! I'm just playing. I know Peet's coffee doesn't exist in every part of the world like Starbucks or something.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this quick fuzzy little story. Bear with me a little; the beginning will be sort of boring.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Chapter 1: Maduro Blend

Serendipity was a quaint store, barely noticeable, but once noticed was unforgettable. Its brother store, literally brother store, was the infamous joke shop owned by the remarkable business men, Fred and George Weasley. Serendipity had an inspirational resemblance to a country cottage; its windows were framed with a bitter brown mahogany wood and the door would look incredibly familiar to any wizard who has ever visited the burrow.

This coffee shop was not Three Broomsticks and did not even compare to Madame Puddifoot's but its customers were frequent, expert drinkers who knew no taste of coffee besides Serendipity's coffee.

And anyone in their right mind, who really _knew _coffee, _knew_ that Serendipity was indeed Utopia of genuine coffee.

Ginny Weasley had founded the store, sought Luna Lovegood for financial support and Bill and Fleur's adolescent children, Spencer and Gabrielle, for the slave work. The poor twins had Ginny's strict and distinct coffee brewing methods engraved into their brains since the age of 5 by Ginny and never felt at home without the aroma of fresh coffee beans in the air. 10 years later, at the age of 15, both the twins could make the perfect cup of coffee in their sleep.

Before Spencer and his sister Gabrielle were born, the Weasleys and the Delacours had a seven month battle of bets regarding the color of the unborn babies' hair. Would the part Veela genetic code win over the undying stubborn red? In the end, the twins ended up with orange hair, but as years flew by, Spencer's orange began fading to the Veela blond hair and Gabrielle's had matured to a Weasley red hair.

Spencer himself was born with the genetics to be another Weasley giant and the Healers and predicted him to even pass the benchmark point of six feet. But the consummation of caffeine starting as a toddler (all thanks to their dear aunt Ginny) had stunted his growth by half a foot and he stood as just a moderately tall young man. Poor Gabrielle was half a foot shorter at 5 foot 2.

That summer day, Spencer was behind the counter, ploughing through the dullest book he had ever encountered in his life. The words on the page became warped once in a while, expanding, then shrinking, then jumbling up and creating a large blob of black ink on the page. But our brave Spencer didn't give up. After all. He is a fighter. Yes… Anyways, a tinkling of the bells woke him up and he smiled at the doorway.

"Hey, Jimmy. The regular?"

"You know it, Spence."

"How's everything going at home?"

"Oh, it's great. My little sister's going to be starting school this year." Jimmy said excitedly. Jimmy was Spencer's roommate, a fellow Gryffindor.

"Really, now! Say congrats to Stephie for me. And how are things with your uh… girlfriend?" Spencer asked, snorting.

Jimmy laughed. "We broke up. You know my specialties are summer flings. And Joanne caught me with Diane."

"How could you be so careless?!"

"Hey, I thought Joanne was out of town. It's not my fault she's a trustless girlfriend."

"She's not a trustless girlfriend, Jimmy. She's a smart one."

"Ah, well, that's enough about me. So, Spence, there's talk that you've got the Prefect badge."

"McGonagall was smoking something when she gave it to me."

"Nah, don't be modest. Did Gaby get the other one?"

Spencer chuckled. "You know how irresponsible Gaby is. But Gaby got captain."

"No way! A fifth year Quidditch captain?"

"Well after Stockholm graduated last year, Gaby's the only other choice left. You know the rest of them are hopeless."

Jimmy smacked Spencer's arm. "That's why I'm saying you ought to join."

"I don't have much time for Quidditch. And if I join, you know Gaby will take that captain title and slaughter me."

"True, she's a feisty one." Spencer caught a glint in Jimmy's eye and immediately locked him in a headlock.

"You lay a finger on my sister and I will make sure you have no fingers to ever touch her again."

"I got it, I got it!" Jimmy choked. Spencer let go, laughing. "Jesus Christ, Spence, I was just kidding. Anyways, mum wants me back soon so whip me up that mocha please."

Spencer nodded, his hands automatically blending the rich, chocolate café mocha while Jimmy examined his fingers whistling. In barely a minute, Jimmy traded in two galleons in exchange for the cup of utter delight.

"See you September, prefect."

"And you too, reject."

Jimmy laughed as he swung open the door only to come face to face with Ginny who was entering her shop.

"Hey, Ginny."

"Hey Jimmy. How's everything? How's your girlfriend?"

"She caught me with Diane last week."

"Oh, you careless boy. You take care, all right? Enjoy that mocha."

"You know I will."

The door closed behind Ginny. "Thanks for covering for me today, Spence. You can go home if you want."

"I can't focus at home with Gaby running around screaming all the time."

"A vivacious girl she is."

"A bloody obnoxious girl she is."

Ginny chuckled. "Well then, you make yourself at home. Want a peppermint latte?"

"Peppermint latte? Is that a new drink you're adding to the menu?"

"I'm trying it out. Experiment. Care to be the first tester?"

"I'd love to be."

Ginny tied up her hair into a quick ponytail and her hands went to work. After a few minutes of careful measurements and whipping, Ginny carried a small mug to Spencer who was spread out on the corduroy velvet couch.

Spencer nodded in satisfaction at the aged aroma and took a small sip. Ginny watched him with curious eyes.

"And…"

"It's good… it doesn't have as much acidity as I expected but it has a pretty full body anyways. It's nice. Very clean."

"Mm that's not good enough. I want a wild, complex, rich drink."

"You won't go very far with just peppermint."

"Yeah, I realized that. Maybe a little…" Ginny trailed off, heading back behind the counter.

"Citrus?" Spencer suggested.

"Yes, but too much of that makes it more fruity instead of rich. I would need to make it a peppermint cappuccino with citrus and dark chocolate. How does that sound?"

"I've got to break it to you but I have never seen a combination like that."

Ginny didn't reply and Spencer doubted that she even heard him. A few minutes later, Ginny came back with another cup.

"Try it."

Spencer took the cup and sipped. Overwhelmingly intense tangy bitterness melted over his taste buds.

Ginny smiled, already knowing the answer.

"It's perfect."

OOOOOOOOOO

Draco Malfoy was an immaculate person. The two most important necessities in his life were cleanliness and coffee. So after 24 hours caffeine free and trudging through, lost in the dust and grimes of Knockturn Alley and finally finding salvation at the mouth of Diagon Alley, Draco Malfoy was not a very happy person.

It was dark now, and cries of desperation screamed in his head as he scanned the street for an open store. Any open store. Draco pulled himself and his bag down the streets, each "closed" sign throwing him into a deeper state of depression.

Then, he almost missed it. He could barely even call it a store and he almost walked right by it if there had not been a man walking quickly by him, bumping Draco's shoulder, causing Draco to turn his head sharply and coming face to face with serendipity. In irony, the cottage he saw had a country-esque sign reading Serendipity. Its lights dimmed so faintly through the window but more importantly, it was open.

With a very un-Malfoy-esque squeak, Draco grabbed his bag tighter and stumbled into the coffee shop. Without caring if anyone heard at all, he gasped. "Give me anything with caffeine please. Now. Please."

"A red eye for you, then." He heard. Draco barely muttered a thank you before collapsing on a soft sofa. In moments, his never failing medicine and source of blood appeared in front of him, the immediate aroma of earthy bittersweetness satisfying all his senses. Draco drank very slowly, savoring each drop of his espresso drink. Either he was very fatigued or this coffee shop was indeed brilliant, but he had never tasted coffee as perfect as the one he grasped in his hand.

Draco closed his eyes, and placed the empty cup on the table gently. He was speechless for a few moments then faced the counter.

"That was the most phenomenal coffee I have ever tasted in the thirty years I've been alive."

The woman behind the counter grinned widely. "This is your first time at Serendipity isn't it."

"And it won't be my last. And all this time I thought Madame Puddifoot's had good coffee."

The woman chuckled. "You have a taste for good coffee, then. Would you like to try a new drink I'm trying out?"

"I would like to try every drink in this shop."

"You'll get there." She finished stirring the cup she had been making when the man entered, and set it in front of him. "Try this. You'll be my second tester today."

Draco took a whiff of the coffee cup in his hand and scrunched his eyebrows in curiosity. "A peppermint cappuccino?"

"Just try it."

Hesitantly, Draco took a small sip, the insides of his mouth exploding. 

"Holy Merlins!"

"It's missing something."

"It is, but I'm afraid what kind of orgasm a normal human will get from drinking this when it's fully complete." Draco shuddered and attached his lips to the cup again.

She chuckled. "But what if that's the secret motives behind my drinks?"

"Well you're getting very close. This drink just needs a foundation to build its body on. Right now, it's a crazy fanfare of flavors that clash into one cup and it needs some sort of base."

"But I was trying to make a wild cup."

Draco heaved. "Oh, it's wild all right. But trust me, find something go act as the core and it won't lose any of its vivacity."

"You're right. Thank you. Are you new to this town?"

"Not quite. It's just been a while. I've just been given a job to teach at Hogwarts."

"Really? What subject?"

"I actually do not know that yet. It was just some last minute emergency call of desperation." (A/N: actually, it's because I can't think of what professor he could be. XD SUGGESTIONS?)

"Well, you look like a mess."

"Thank you. Thank you very much. I accidentally flooed to Diagon Alley and you know how that place is a no-apparation zone. I've been wandering around there the entire day."

"You came to the right place. There's no better medicine than coffee."

Draco smiled and watched her walk back behind the counter. "Thank you for… both the coffees. Do you work here?"

"I own this place." Ginny grabbed a rag next to her and began wiping the counter clean.

"Well, thank you for the coffee. Say, you never told me your name."

"Oh, I'm Ginny. Ginny Weasley."

Draco choked. "Ginny Weasley?"

"Yes. What about you?"

Draco stood up and strode over to the counter. Now, under the light, Ginny squinted a bit, racking her memories to remember who this man was.

"I'm Draco Malfoy."

Ginny dropped her rag.

"Draco Malfoy?"

Draco nodded, scratching his head, flushed with embarrassment. He had just come practically crawling into this store, begging for coffee. To Ginny Weasley. "I'm sorry." He muttered.

Ginny continued to stare and then sighed. "It's been over a decade since I've seen you last. There's nothing to be 'sorry' about. You helped me with my new drink and complimented my coffee."

Draco shrugged and then made his way back to the sofa to grab his bag. He put down five galleons on the table. "Thank you for the coffee."

Ginny gave a small, forced smile and waved him good bye.

The thing she was most worried about, however, was the fact that Draco Malfoy was going to be a Hogwarts professor.

Ginny laughed.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I hope this story sounds good. I know, it's the first chapter and all and it was quite boring and dragged out but a writer's got to make their introductions and things, you know. It'll get better by the time the twins get to Hogwarts. I hope.

**Anyways, you know, I can't make a story without YOUR help and REVIEWS. So please review and feel free to leave lots… and lots… and lots… and lots of more suggestions. **

**Oh yeah, and what subject do you think Draco should teach?**

**Anyways, tell me everything from the good to bad to the ugly and etc etc.**

And now on the brighter note:

_About the Maduro Blend._

(I'm copying this almost straight from the Peet's coffee description and recommendations little booklet I picked up. Go visit Peets dot com for more.)

_Named for the Indonesian island, maduro is also the Spanish word for "ripe." This blend cinsists of full bodied coffees from the world's three major growing regions. Latin American coffee contributes lively acidity and spiciness; East African coffee adds hints of fruit and floral overtones. Together these coffees add up to a rich brew of maximum intensity and fullness. _

Later, biatches!

Love always


	2. Fair Trade Blend

Fixing a small technical mistake in chapter 1:

"_Well, you look like a mess."_

"_Thank you. Thank you very much. I accidentally flooed to **Diagon Alley** and you know how that place is a no-apparation zone. I've been wandering around there the entire day."_

"_You came to the right place. There's no better medicine than coffee."_

FIXED TO:

"Well, you look like a mess."

"Thank you. Thank you very much. I accidentally flooed to **KNOCKTURN ALLEY** and you know how that place is a no-apparation zone. I've been wandering around there the entire day."

"You came to the right place. There's no better medicine than coffee."

Asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfsdfsdfasdf

I'M SO HAPPY! THANKS FOR THE WELCOME BACK, GUYS! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW THRILLED I WAS TO GET ALL YOUR REVIEWS AND ALL… ANYWAYS, I'VE BEEN STALLING ENOUGH SO ON TO CHAPTER 2 AND EXPECT MORE GUSHY LOVE FROM ME AT THE BOTTOM.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Gabrielle Weasley sighed and chugged down her ice coffee. Even though Ginny had set a cooling charm in the shop before she left, Gaby felt like she was melting under the sweltering heat. Spencer was spread out on the sofa in just shorts and a light T-shirt, his inertia helping his body cool down where on the other hand, the fidgety Gaby suffered. School was starting tomorrow but the summer heat wave had not died down.

DAMN THAT GLOBAL WARMING.

The bells chimed and Gaby looked up, her hair frazzled and skin sticky with sweat.

"Hello. I'd like a medium latte, please."

"A medium latte… sure… NOT. ARE YOU CRAZY? HOW CAN YOU DRINK A HOT DRINK IN THIS WEATHER?" Gaby cried, as the middle aged witch jumped in shock.

"I… I've always drunk a latte."

"Oh I know people like you. People who are never willing to venture into different things. You're scared, aren't you? Scared and worried. Of anything that you're not used to. You live a monotone life. And seeing that gigantic stone on your finger, you married a rich man, possibly even an arranged marriage and you've been living every day like a bloody routine. You brush your teeth at the exact same time every day. You eat lunch at the exact same time every day. You sip tea at the same time at the same day with the same people. You take your little doggie to the beauty parlor the same day of the week every month every year. You even piss at the exact same time every day, don't you? That's why you'd be crazy enough to drink a hot latte under this global warming induced sun. I pity women like you. You can't even live a decent life. Why is it? Is that what arranged marriage does to you? Did you have a secret lover before but had to leave him for that rich boring man who might even be cheating on you for a younger whore because that's what rich men in arranged marriages do. Can't you stand up a bit more for the female gender? You're bringing shame to us, you know that right? Live life to your fullest. It's not only men who can do that, you know. Hell if you live like that because you're in an unhappy marriage, and your husband is cheating on you but you can't do anything, then to hell with that. Go out and meet another young man. For a middle aged woman like you, you're actually not that bad looking and I know that plenty of twenty year olds would be looking for women like you. Go live. What can your husband do? He can't divorce you or anything because he's the one who cheats on you in the first place and he won't be able to face his parents about it because then he would have to reveal to them that he cheated on you and I'm sure there's a reason why he was hooked up with you in the first place. Take advantage of the advantages you have in life, woman. Try something different today. Why the same old latte? How do you know you wouldn't like the blended caramel macchiato freeze if you've never tried it, huh?"

By the time Gaby was finished, the woman was gaping at her, dumbstruck and Spencer tackled her to the ground.

"Gaby! Can you ever shut the bloody hell up for once?!"

"Let me go! You're making me sweatier!"

Spencer stood up, in place of Gaby and flashed the woman an overly charming smile.

"I'm very sorry. My sister has… problems. I'm very sorry; I'll whip you up a latte right away." Spencer turned toward the espresso machine when the woman stopped him.

"Wait… wait, I think I'll have the… um… what was it… blended caramel macchiato freeze."

Spencer turned again to the lady and Gaby jumped up, smiling brightly. "Coming right up, Mrs…"

"Bluegrass. My name is Melanie Bluegrass."

"Mrs. Bluegrass, if you could take a seat, I'll bring you your drink right away." Gaby chirped, jabbing Spencer in the ribs and sticking her tongue out triumphantly. The woman sat in the chair, looking slightly awkward. Gaby served her the refreshing drink which Mrs. Bluegrass took one gulp of and immediately fell into a state of uncontrollable sobbing.

Spencer ran to her table with tissues and the twins sat with her, trying to comfort the babbling woman.

Gaby patted her arm. "Mrs. Bluegrass, I'm very sorry. What I said was very out of…"

"No, no, dear, you're absolutely right. I dated my husband a little in high school but our parents liked our relationship so much because we both happened to be purebloods so they arranged for us to get married. And we weren't even thinking about that. In fact, my husband, he was just a rebound from my first love and…" She trailed off as she had another burst of tears. After a few sniffles and about a dozen tissues, she continued.

"Anyways, we got married and there was nothing neither of us could do about it. Eventually, I learned to live with it and I got used to it. But my husband… as weeks passed, he started coming home less and less to a point where I now only see him about once every two weeks. I've been having company and other women over so I won't be so lonely… but I'm almost 35 years old now and I haven't had a single child! We've been married for 15 years and… and… _we haven't even made love yet!_" With that, Mrs. Bluegrass threw her head into her hands.

"And my husband, I see him looking at younger, prettier women when we go to company banquets and such. But I'm positive he would never really _cheat _on me because Rob is really not that kind of person. And that makes me feel even worse because he's holding back so much and has to live with me for the rest of his life. And I'm getting old now and… oh… I don't know what to do. I want to make him happy but how could I now? I no longer have the same body I had in school and it just seems like my boobs are getting smaller day by day. But I just want to show him… I'm actually not bad in bed, you know. My previous boyfriends from school always told me they loved me most when we were making love."

Spencer blanched and Gaby giggled. "You know what, Mrs. Bluegrass, I have the perfect solution for you. You know, I was surprised to know that you're 35 because I thought you must be maybe late twenties, early thirties at your latest. But looking closely, your body is definitely not worth giving up. If you say your boobs got smaller, it must mean your boobs were out of this world before because well… Spencer, wouldn't you say Mrs. Bluegrass has very nice breasts?" Gaby nudged her brother who was trying his best not to mingle any longer in the women's conversation.

"Huh? Uh… yes. Very nice. Top of the line."

"See? And my brother here knows breasts best. And if you're worried that you're not a stick thin model like those pretty girls your husband might look at… let me tell you that if you put a stick model figure to a curvy model, any sane man would go for the curvy one. It just has to do with the way you present yourself. You know what, how's this. I'm going to go find you some essentials for women like you while you finish up your blend and calm down a bit, okay?" Gaby gave Mrs. Bluegrass a reassuring squeeze on her shoulders and bolted out the door into the streets of Diagon Alley. The sniffling woman watched her go and smiled slightly.

"Your sister is really a piece of work, isn't she?"

"Yes… yes she is."

Mrs. Bluegrass dabbed the tissues around her eyes and took sips from her cup.

"I can't believe I never tried this before."

"It's good isn't it? We have some more cold coffee blends on our menu."

"I've been coming to this place every week for the past decade of my life, since this place opened but I have always been served by Ginny. Do you two work here?"

"Yeah. We were practically raised here. We're Ginny's nephew and niece and since Dad is in Egypt a lot with Mom and my other uncle, Ginny took care of us and she spends most of her life in this shop."

"I wish I'd met you two sooner."

"I wish we could've helped you sooner, Mrs. Bluegrass."

"You two are simply so dear." Mrs. Bluegrass wiped more tears from her flushed cheeks. Spencer put his arm around the woman and patted her. Slowly, her use of tissues decreased as Gaby came panting in through the door holding half a dozen shopping bags.

"All right. Just know, Mrs. Bluegrass that you will be able to find these things at plenty of stores in Diagon Alley." Gaby put the bags down on a chair and took out each item one by one.

"First thing you need is a strapless push up bra." Gaby pulled out a black silky C-cup bra and Spencer's ears turned red as he began to turn around.

"Oh come on, Spence, we need your manly opinion of these. Plus, it's not like it's your first time seeing women's underwear. Anyways. Black push-up bras are especially perfect when you're wearing a dress robe. With these, there will be nothing your husband can see besides you with them when you go to banquets and such."

"Yeah… and go for a low neck, sexy yet not too revealing dress that makes your husband want to see more. Because men go crazy over that." Spencer added.

"I got you a black one, a red lacy one and a plain white one for normal wear."

"Lovely. These are lovely." The woman sized up the bras, beginning to smile.

"Next, I got you some lingerie your husband will go mad over. And let me tell you, you can't go wrong with lace. And lace underwear is usually made with high class fabric that will be comfortable for you too. So I got you some lacy boy shorts. Boy shorts fit any body figure. Honestly. You will feel so sexy in these, you'd want to drop. And a few thongs for when you wear dresses."

"Cotton underwear is a turnoff." Spencer remarked.

"Yes. As Spencer says, cotton is a turnoff. Try to stray away from those. Plus, lace or silk underwear is much more comfortable and better quality."

"Especially those neon color cotton underwear. I mean, do girls think that's cute or something?" Spencer thought out loud. (A/N: victim.) Both women stared him down.

"Anyways, I got you a silk night gown. But this is not ordinary silk night gown. It's shaped as a camisole so you can wear this without underwear and any man would die the moment they see you wear this."

"Oh and if you ever feel really adventurous, go for lace too. See through but not too see through. As I said, men go crazy over assets that they can sort of see but want to see more of."

"I think it's about time you shut up now, Spence."

"You said you wanted my masculine opinions!" Spencer exclaimed.

"Moving on. That's about all you need for lingerie. The next thing is cosmetics. Cosmetics are very specific for a certain type and color of skin so you'd have to go in yourself but I just got you a few things that can never go wrong." Gaby said, shuffling through one of the shopping bags.

"Anti-aging cream. Either you have really good anti-aging cream right now or you're not quite there yet and I'm going to guess the latter. So save this for in a couple years and once you get wrinkles or anything, apply this every night and you'll look ten years younger." Gaby then pulled out a few tubes of lipstick.

"Red and brown lipstick can never go wrong on any woman."

"Especially that reddish brown that gives you that slightly goth yet sexy come hither look. Man, that drives me up the wall." Spencer commented, opening a tube.

"I also got some fake eyelashes. I actually don't recommend using them too much but you know, if you go to a banquet or some sort of party, these will win you a few double glances."

"Just don't go freak and decide to get like really freaky colorful fake eyelashes because those are actually sort of scary. Trust me. Remember Sally Hamilton wore bright yellow eyelashes to the ball last year and her date actually ran away from her?" Spencer chuckled.

"Yes. That's true. Stick to black eyelashes."

Gaby handed Melanie Bluegrass the shopping bags and smiled. "I wish you the best of luck, Mrs. Bluegrass." She gave her a tight hug.

"Thank you so much, dear." She then turned to give Spencer an equally suffocating hug. "I don't know if I have enough words to express my thanks."

"Well, for now, take this." Mrs. Bluegrass placed a velvet pouch of galleons on the table. "This should cover the cost of the drink and all this." She held up the bags grinning brightly. "I'll come again! Take care, both of you!"

Spencer and Gaby waved her off.

"Someone's getting laid tonight." Spencer muttered under his breath.

He felt a very painful impact upside his head.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny could not hear the bells from the back storage room and took a quick intake when she saw the mass of sweaty, overworked blond hair lying on her just-cleaned counter.

"Why, welcome back, Mr. Malfoy. I honestly didn't think you'd be back."

"I swear, I promised myself never to come here again. And I don't know what happened but my legs just pulled me here."

"It must be the spell Serendipity has put on you. They say once you start, you can never stop."

Draco sighed, sat on a stool at the counter and slouched. "I lasted long didn't I? How long have I been deprived of the best coffee in the world, again? Couple weeks?"

"That should be right. That must be a record, Mr. Malfoy."

"Can I have something cold and mellow today?"

"Hard day?"

"The worst. This heat makes me so sweaty; this is my seventh outfit today. And then I kept having these crazy craving for coffee and so I went to Madame Puddifoot's but it's just not the same there anymore so in the end, I decided to treat myself to something good before I go off and teach little kids some magic."

Ginny placed the coffee cup in front of him which Draco grabbed and took a large intake of, immediately blanching, dropping his cup onto the counter.

"What the hell is this trash? It's so…" Draco paused, smacked his lips, and then took another sip of his cup.

"Ravishing."

"Mellow enough for you?"

"You're a magician. You must be."

"Well, if you say it that way, I AM a witch… would you like to see my certificate of graduation from Hogwarts?"

"I forgot about that for a moment. This is really brilliant. What is it?"

"This is a lemon latte. I know you asked for cold but this makes you shiver more than any cold drink. Doesn't it?"

"That it does. What is your secret?"

"I used the plunger." Ginny replied. (A/N: She is referring to the French press, which is another method of brewing coffee and it produces stronger coffee than a drip.)

"The _plunger_?"

"A nice French twist. And a few exotic spices which shall not be revealed."

"Secret ingredients, eh? I see, I see. I'll get it out of you another day." Draco took another swig and chuckled.

"Oh!" Ginny looked up remembering what she had been meaning to ask. "Do you know what you're teaching yet?"

"I was told I'd be teaching transfiguration but just two nights ago, I got switched to defense against the dark arts."

"Hmm… you landed the hardest position to teach your first year of teaching. That's tough. A little advice, focus more on the books and fundamentals for the little ones and starting from maybe fourth years get into a lot of practical and the seventh years should be mostly, if not all practical magic."

Draco smiled. "Thank you. I'll do that. I don't know how I'll be able to survive a whole year. With little kids." Draco groaned.

"I love kids!"

"I hate them."

"Well then, if you ever need coffee…"

"Bloody hell! How am I going to live without this coffee?!" Draco cried, jumping out of his seat.

"Sit back down. As I was saying, Hogwarts' coffee is specially ordered from here every week. So if you sneak into the kitchen, you'd be able to make your own cup."

"Hogwarts has a kitchen?"

Ginny dropped everything and gaped at this deprived man in front of her.

"You didn't know that? I thought it was like… tacit knowledge."

"No, I did NOT know Hogwarts had a kitchen."

"Tickle the pear. That's all I can say." Ginny continued to stare at him, pitifully.

"Don't give me that look!"

"What kind of life have you known, Malfoy…?" She muttered, sighing.

"You shut up!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Melanie, I'm home…" Rob Bluegrass sighed heavily, walking into the imprisonments of his home. There was nothing. Maybe she went out for tea with her friends… after midnight… or maybe…

Rob hung his coat on the coat rack and made his way to his master bedroom. The door was slightly open and the lights inside were very dim.

Very curious, eh?

The door creaked open as Rob walked in… into what he thought might be… either heaven or hell, he could not tell.

In the middle of his king size bed clad in nothing but red lacy underwear was his wife of fifteen years.

He had always known that his wife was quite voluptuous; in fact, her body was what he had been attracted to when he first saw her at school in Hogwarts. But after fifteen years of his lack of _being there,_ he had almost forgotten. Correction, he HAD forgotten about those breasts, those long legs, her hourglass figure…

"Welcome home, husband." She whispered, smirking devilishly.

"What's with… You… what- what?"

Melanie rolled off his bed and sashayed her way to Rob Bluegrass. She grabbed his tie and ripped it off. It hurt but Rob could not feel it. His breath quickened as she tore his white dress shirt open. Her magical fingers massaged his torso.

"And how was your day?" She asked, in middle of taking off his belt.

"Well, it _was _ba-ahhhhhhhhh-d"

Melanie hooked her finger around one of his belt loops and dragged him to bed. Rob threw his briefcase aside before she threw him down and crawled on top of him.

"I'm just about to make it better. Can you stand it, husband?"

"I hope so." A small, delightful smile crept up on Rob's already sweaty face.

And on that burning autumn day, the stressful heat of their bodies collided. The lights flicked off, the bed covers fell, and the neighbors could not get a good night sleep at all.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Wow I leave you guys with a sex scene. HAHAHAHA.

Anyways.

I re-watched Chocolat (JOHNNYYYY!) today and I realized that uh. This story and that movie have like. VERY SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS. And I guess I subconsciously did that as I thought about this story. I'm sorry. If you think I'm biting off that great movie and I shall be thrown into hell, then please, feel free to bite my head off!

So WOW guys I was very very happy and I could have updated sooner because that's how overjoyed I was with all your lovely reviews and such but my internet crashed and I couldn't check to thank each of you individually because I like doing that at least after the first chapter. And note: I am only replying to my shy anonymous reviewers here because I sent replies

So here goes:

**Mayura**: Being caffeinated is nice, isn't it! Thanks for your review and suggestion! I'm glad you liked the start and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

**Robin**: I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 1! I would have put Draco as potions, but in the end, I thought DADA would be cleaner. Thanks for your review and I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Infinitesimal-Speck mrrrg2003**: I'm glad you liked the coffee blends. I just threw in some random things and hoped it sounded good. And yeah, hahahah I think I probably meant "consumption" instead of "consummation." I must have been on a coffee high. Thanks for picking that up for me! Thanks for your review!

**Anna**: Thanks so much! I'm usually pretty lousy with the first chapters but I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for your encouragement! Hope you liked chapter 2!

**harrypotterchick4ever**: Thanks for your review! After I started writing this story, I saw Draco and Ginny's separation and I was going to change his profession. BUT YOU'LL SEE HOW IT ENDS UP WORKING OUT. Haha, I actually honestly have no idea how it's going to work out but I'll think of some BS answer. Um. You see, their separation will begin to reveal their inner desires for each other. I mean, as they say, you never realize how much you love something until it's gone, right? Heh. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

And for the Peet's blend of the chapter:

**Fair Trade Blend**

…_When this cooperative, which was producing to our standards more than a decade ago, became a Fair Trade affiliate, we made this clear-toned, lemony coffee the heart of a blend whose soul is assistance for small growers. Fair Trade Blend has the distinctive tang and clean character of Central American coffees- smoothed by fuller bodied coffees from chapters in Indonesia, then pointed up and finished in the Peet's roast._

AGAIN, THANKS GUYS AND REVIEW AGAIN: )


	3. Garuda Blend

Gabrielle Weasley had always shivered with fury when her aunt Ginny told her stories about the pureblooded aristocrat bastards who filthied the beautiful corridors of Hogwarts when she went to school. The nasty, conceited, obnoxious Slytherins who teased and tortured poor first years and especially the muggle-borns for their "impurity."

Gaby was usually a very firm believer in equality. And especially, being a Weasley and a pureblood, had no problems with muggle-borns.

But sometimes (and you can't blame this poor child) she rethought her morals as her hypersensitive claustrophobia struck, squeezing through the train, being suffocated by useless students who had nothing more than a pinprick of magical abilities in them.

Of course, Gaby wasn't the superb student like her brother who punished himself by forcing his eyes to plough through the History of Magic book. But Gaby was there for a reason. She was there to play Quidditch, whereas half the people who bustled around her, stepping all over her shoes, sandwiching her, were magically incapable of doing anything.

Finally, she found her compartment, flung the door open and threw herself down on the seat. Her brother and his friend Jimmy resumed their game of chess.

"Is it just me or are there twice the number of little kids in this school than last year?" She grumbled.

"Well of course! We are living in the millennium of a drastic population growth. And population growth means more magic blood. And more magic blood means more students accepted into Hogwarts. And Hogwarts being the school of high and mighty Harry Potter means more students will decide on Hogwarts." Spencer figured

Jimmy nodded in agreement, moving his knight forward. "Just live with it, Gaby. They're all witches and wizards."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, noooo, they are NOT ALL witches and wizards. I swear to God, I bet half of them can't even mutter a single spell."

"Of course not! They haven't learned magic yet." Spencer tactfully eliminated Jimmy's knight from the board.

"Oh, look at you and your pedophilic Prefect love for the newbies."

"Now, now, that's no way to talk to your big brother." Jimmy joked.

"2 MINUTES! 2 GODDAMN MINUTES!" She cried, throwing her shoe with her perfect aim at Jimmy's face.

The two boys laughed as Gaby spread out over two seats and promptly fell asleep despite the rumblings and grumblings of the Hogwarts train below.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco jerked his head up prying his eyes open. He had forgotten how long and incredibly boring the opening ceremonies were. But it felt like hours since he had been sitting there, at the top table now with all the other professors, listening to Professor McGonagall drone on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and oh bother, she never stopped talking. Filch's rules, boundary rules, Quidditch tryouts…

"Professor Malfoy!"

Draco jumped up instinctively at her sharp voice, slamming his hands accidentally on his fork which caused it to catapult into Professor Flitwick's face, knocking the poor man off his chair. The students roared with laughter, but quickly was silenced by one look from Headmistress McGonagall. Draco cleared his throat.

"Professor Malfoy will be taking over the position of Defense against the dark arts position and the Slytherin Head."

"What?!" Draco exclaimed.

Professor McGonagall looked back, with those eyes which haunted his nightmares back in school. "I said, _Professor, _that you will be taking over the position of Defense against the dark arts position and the Slytherin Head."

"I'm the Slytherin head?" He whispered.

"Yes." She hissed back.

"What happened to Snape?"

"When the Opening Ceremony is over, Mr. Malfoy, you can enchant me with your delightful questions which were already answered two days ago when I very clearly explained the situation here."

"Sorry, Professor." He mumbled, sitting back down.

There was frenzy chattering in the students, mostly squeals from the female students about how _handsome _the new professor was.

And no matter how much Professor McGonagall tried to exert her authority over the silly girls, the giggling never ceased. Finally, she put her head in her hands.

"Okay. That's enough. Your prefects will lead you to your dormitories."

The Great Hall stood up, the prefects out-yelling each other, leading the pack of first years. Professor McGonagall turned to exit and Draco jogged to catch up with her.

"Professor!"

She turned around and sighed. "What is it, Professor Malfoy?"

"Do you happen to know where the pear is?"

"The pear?"

"You know… tickle the pear …"

McGonagall stared at him blankly. "Do you need to rest at Madame Pomfrey's for a while, Mr. Malfoy?"

"No! The kitchens! How do I get to the kitchens?"

"Ah, the kitchens… you turn…" She suddenly stopped and gaped at him. "You don't know where the kitchens are?"

Draco scratched his head. "No… nobody ever… told me."

And for the first time, ever, Draco heard Professor McGonagall laugh.

"Good night, Mr. Malfoy."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Gaby, I can't believe you're holding Quidditch tryouts on the fourth day of school." Jimmy muttered, shaking his head as Jimmy, Spencer and she walked out to the field after breakfast.

"The faster I get my new team, the faster we can start practice." She declared.

"But everyone's just starting to get adjusted into the school! First and second years probably don't even know how to ride a broom." Spencer interjected.

"Them first years are all you think about, aren't they. Plus, we should weed them out before they even attempt try out." She replied, smiling harshly.

"We're hopeless anyways. You're the only good player we've got and we can't just rely on one player the whole year. There'd be no use looking for anyone." Jimmy grumbled.

Gaby threw him a cold glare. "I don't like to hear that kind of attitude from you, Jimmy."

He remained silent and him and Spencer trudged behind her until they reached the field which they saw was already preoccupied.

"Hey, isn't that Professor…" Jimmy whispered.

"Excuse me, what business do you have on the field?" Gaby asked the man who was lying on the bleachers in sweats and a track jacket. He looked as if he had been running all morning. He remained lying, as if he hadn't heard her.

"Gaby…" Spence whispered, warningly.

"ExCUSE me?" She pushed him again, this time a tad harder.

The man sat up in his seat, squinting at the three of them.

"Good morning?" The man croaked, shielding the sun from his eyes. He had dark, black circles under his eyes and his skin was unnaturally pale.

"Sir, are you okay?" Spencer asked, walking up to help him.

"Spence, you know him?" Gaby demanded.

"He's the new professor. Remember from the Opening Ceremony?"

"No, I don't."

"Well, of course you wouldn't, you were off with your new conquest midway through it." Jimmy said under his breath, receiving a cold glare from Gaby.

"My 'new conquest' has a name, you know. His name is Caleb and he's a Sixth year prefect."

"Ah, he's a bastard. I recommend you break things off with him as soon as possible." The man chirped, rubbing his eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"You're talking of the Hufflepuff prefect, right? Never shows up to meetings. Gives me attitude. Almost like another Diggory except more of an ass."

Gabrielle stood gaping at him. "I… don't even know you!" She turned her head and stalked to the middle of the field where she put her equipment down. Students began filing in, holding their broomsticks eagerly. By the time it was 10, there was about two dozen students warming up on the grass.

Spencer took his seat next to the man. "I'm Spencer Weasley."

Draco looked at him, feeling as if he was staring straight into a teenage mirror image of himself. The blonde hair, the light eyes, the cool, handsome face…

"Yes, you're the Gryffindor prefect. I remember seeing you at the meeting. Never would have guessed you'd be a Weasley, though…"

"I'm sorry on behalf of my sister. She uh… could be a bit feisty at times."

Draco chuckled. "She must take after her…" Ginny Weasley's face flashed in front of him and his heart felt a cold jab as he remembered the smell of her sweet coffee… coffee… he sighed. It had been several days since he had last tasted coffee and each night, until the wee hours of the morning wandered aimlessly around the huge castle, searching and searching for the kitchen. He had thrown a poor 2nd year out of his classroom for hiccupping earlier that day. His emotions were always broiling over the cauldrons these days…

Draco cleared his throat, choking back his unmanly tears. "Your sister, eh? Older?"

"Younger. We're twins."

He sputtered. "Captain? As a fifth year?"

"Nobody's left to take charge. They all graduated last year. She's the best we've got." Spencer said. Draco stayed silent, watching the girl drop almost vertically down from a distance at least 100 feet from the ground and swerve out a mere foot away from the ground with the golden snitch in her hand.

"She has something." Draco muttered, gaping.

"She got it from our aunt. Our parents themselves aren't that great. Gaby can slaughter them in a game in five minutes. But we have some really talented Quidditch blood in our family."

"I've… never seen Quidditch better. She can probably even outfly Potter." Draco grunted the last part.

"She doesn't even like seeking. She can actually play all four positions quite well which makes it easier for her to choose team members but she's the worst at keeping, the most vicious when beating, the best at seeking, but likes chasing the most.

"Do you play?"

"Enough to be able to follow the game with Gaby. I'm not much of a Quidditch player, though."

"So you're a Hermione Granger."

"You know Hermione?"

Draco sighed. "Of course I know Hermione. I know your aunt too. And that Potter and your uncles. Especially that tall annoying one."

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, I have no idea which of my many uncles you speak so kindly of."

"Tell me, Spencer, how does it feel being the only blonde in your family?

"My mother's a blonde! Fleur Delacour."

Draco choked. "The French girl?!"

Spencer frowned. "Yes, how do you know her?"

Draco's ego would not permit himself to tell Spencer about how Draco (and the rest of the male population) was completely infatuated with this enchanting part veela back in their fourth year. "Ah… long story." Clearing his throat, Draco changed the subject to prevent any further humiliations and dents in his ego. "If you don't play quidditch, what do you do?"

"I'm the smart twin. I just do my duties and help out my aunt at her coffeeshop couple times a week…" Spencer trailed off, realizing that he was speaking to a professor.

However, the reaction from Draco was not one that he would expect from another professor once they found out about his… extracurricular activities. Instead of chiding him, Draco snapped his head toward him with large desperate eyes.

"Your aunt's coffeeshop!"

"…Yes… my aunt owns a coffeeshop down at Diagon Alley. Please don't tell Professor McGonagall, I'm not supposed to wander outside of school." Spencer pleaded.

"Good friend, oh, good pal, would you like to share with your dear professor how you manage to sneak out of Hogwarts all the way to your aunt's coffeeshop in Diagon Alley and manage to get back?"

Spencer frowned. "Am I getting detention?"

"You won't if you tell me."

Scratching his head, Spencer spoke hesitantly, leaning closer toward his teacher. "My uncles told me about this secret passageway that will lead straight to the entrance of Diagon Alley. It's on the third floor next to the woman in the purple dress with blue patters. Her place is quite hidden, but professor I must ask, why you must know this."

Trying to conceal his grin, Draco looked forward on to the Quidditch tryouts. They were on keepers, which meant the tryouts were almost over. "I'll tell you a small secret, Spencer, man to man. But I'm a caffeine addict. And I don't know where the kitchens are. And to tell you the truth, Spence, I haven't had coffee in days. I can't even count how many. I think around four but I'm not very sure."

Spencer gaped. "Four days?! How did you do it?!"

"I have no idea! Ever since I was around your age, I haven't been able to live without coffee for more than two days. And trust me, those two days were not very good days for my friends."

"Well, how did you drink your coffee back then? If you didn't know where the kitchens were?"

Draco sighed and put his head into his hands, full of shame. "Well… I… I was young! I didn't know any better! I thought… I actually thought the school coffee was passable.

Spencer could not hold it any longer. "WHAT?! You thought school coffee was… how… how could you think such morbid thoughts?!"

"Listen, before your aunt opened up that bloody coffee shop, any coffee was good."

"Even… don't tell me you fancied Madame Puddifoot's…" Spencer gulped.

Draco sadly nodded, Spencer gasping. "What… what kind of life have you lived?"

Draco rubbed his eyes. "Which is why you must help me."

"Certainly. In fact, Gaby and I were thinking of making a trip after tryouts. Would you like to join us?"

"Absolutely."

"There she comes. Hey Gaby, I invited Professor Malfoy to auntie's place." Spencer said, as Gaby came panting.

"What?"

"Professor's been coffee deprived for four days."

"What?! How's that possible?!" She breathed. "What are we still sitting around here for, then? Merlins I really need an iced caramel macchiato right now."

Spencer and Draco stood up, walking back toward the castle. "How were tryouts? Found your team?"

"Yes, and a pathetic team at that. There was one second year, your favorites, Spencer, and that little bugger outflew everyone else."

"Was he that good?" Spencer asked, impressed.

"No, everyone else just sucked that much. Anyways I'm making the final choices by tomorrow. I'm undecided about the seeker, you see."

"Why don't you just seek?" Draco asked. "I saw you during the mini-game and you fly brilliantly."

"Thank you but if I seek, we'll have the lousiest chasers in the school. I'm stuck between that little second year and Harold, who seeked last year. The second year is better but Harold's more mature. And you know I hate little kids." Gaby added.

"Well, unless the second year is significantly better than Harold, then I suggest you pick Harold because your team would just fall apart with a seeker who's good but nobody can work with." Draco advised, his past years of being the Quidditch captain began coming back to him.

"That's true… Quidditch IS a team game. Turn here." Gaby led the two of them into the third floor and they trekked down the deserted hall and finally found themselves at the portrait of the very pale woman with a bright violet ball gown. Tapping on the very right hand corner, the portrait opened very slightly, enough for them to sneak through. Down the tunnel Draco fell, until he landed quite ungracefully into the front of Diagon Alley.

Once he regained balance, Draco dusted himself off clean and went walking, quite quickly, toward where his legs and his taste buds were magnetically attached to. He bumped into dozens of pissed wizards and witches on the way but he didn't care. Only the humble coffee shop stood in front of him. He threw open the door and jumped onto his stool, the stool he always sat on.

"Welcome back, Mr. Weasley… with a grand entry at that." Ginny smirked, continuing to wipe the mugs.

"Four days, dark, bitter, now." He panted.

Nodding, Ginny turned back toward her espresso machine as the twins came stumbling in.

"Merlins, Professor, you just completely bulldozed through everything here." Spencer remarked, setting his bag down on the couch.

"Never in my life have I seen someone so excited for something, and you know how Michael Jackson Spencer gets when the first years come in." Gaby sniggered, taking a seat next to her brother on the couch. "Hey, auntie." (a/n: don't ask how she knows Michael Jackson. Who doesn't?)

"You guys showed him the passageway?"

"A new record among us addicts, auntie… four days! Imagine that!" I couldn't help but pity the man." Spencer exclaimed, shaking his head in amazement.

Ginny handed Draco the steaming miniature espresso shot mug which he took instantly and downed. Despite the scorching fluid that burned his tongue and the nerve tingling bitterness that stung his eyes, he could taste a delightful caramel flavor hidden beneath the blackness. Ah, Ginny Weasley's espressos were simply the best.

"Thank you." Draco sighed, sitting back in his chair.

"Didn't I tell you about the kitchen?" Ginny asked, taking his cup.

"And I also told you about how I didn't know where the kitchens are."

"Ah, you never found them, huh. Why didn't you just ask?" She asked, a glint in her eye.

Draco scratched his neck. "After McGonagall straight out laughed at my face when I asked, I couldn't gather the guts to do it again."

Ginny threw her head back and cackled. "My niece and nephew will show you."

"I don't mind coming here, though. Coffee always tastes best at its home."

"Well… well, I guess that's right. Just don't let McGonagall catch you or she'll have this passage blocked. And I won't have my free labor slaves to help around anymore." Ginny grinned.

"Now, now, it's our choice to come." Spencer argued.

"Yes dear, and I quite appreciate it. How was the first week of school for you, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Caffeine-free. Did school coffee normally taste that repulsive?"

"I believe so. And it pains me to know that it's my coffee they brew. But then again, right coffee brewed wrong is far worse than wrong coffee brewed right."

"I couldn't agree with you any better." Draco sighed.

"I wouldn't even be able to trust you with my coffee." Ginny teased.

Draco stood up. "Oh, oh, no you did not just say that."

"Yes I did. All I know about your expertise is that you know what the perfect cup of coffee tastes like. How do I know if you can make a perfect cup?"

"And you say that with such modesty."

"Honestly, Malfoy, do you seriously think you can make a cup of coffee like me?"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Only if you say it is."

"You taunt me so, Weasley. All right. I'll make you coffee. And you can see if I truly deserve praise from a goddess of coffee you call yourself." Draco reached for her apron when she snatched it away.

"I can't let you filthy my workplace with your inexperienced hands. My coffee is holy and I can't let a mere commoner like you befoul the sanctuary."

Draco stood for a moment, speechless. He tried thinking of a comeback but his ego had been tarnished too much. Then, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the swinging door that stood between the two sides of the counter and dragged her out the door.

"Watch the shop!" Ginny cried behind her as she was yanked out of her own coffee shop by the twins' professor.

They looked blankly toward the door and Spencer slowly stood up.

"I guess… I guess…"

"What the HELL was that?" Gaby pondered loudly, Spencer nodding in agreement.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Yes, yes, slaughter me, kick me, beat me… I'm sorry! Haha, my old laziness started resurfacing and I was also pretty stuck on this chapter. Writing, rewriting etc. You can kind of tell too, this chapter was way longer and dragged out than it needed to be. But ah well, I was starting to get too sick of rewriting so here you go: ) Hope you guys enjoyed.

Thank you guys so much. So So So much. I know it takes a lot of patience to read my stories because I'm a horrible person and you guys are all so nice and forgiving. And I make all these promises that I never keep. So I won't promise that I'll update soon but I will promise that your reviews will seriously impact the speed in which I write and the content I write. So feel free to leave any ideas you have! I'd really like them and bear with me. : )

One question… would you guys like this story to be like a Draco/Ginny centric story with Spencer and Gaby as side characters or Draco/Ginny focused with Spencer and Gaby as side stories? Because I'm not sure how big of a role the twins should have. I was thinking of maybe having love interests for them as well as "Everyone starts falling in love" but I'm not sure if you guys would like that.

And haha, I can't help giggling when I go online to read some stories and I don't know if it's just me or not but I'm starting to see a lot of coffee related stories and I can't help thinking that maybe I started a fad. It must be coffee story season now. : D

Take care, guys! Thanks for reading!

Review!! tehe


	4. Arabian Mocha Java

Previously on this splendid story:

"_Honestly, Malfoy, do you seriously think you can make a cup of coffee like me?"_

"_Is that a challenge?"_

"_Only if you say it is."_

"_You taunt me so, Weasley. All right. I'll make you coffee. And you can see if I truly deserve praise from a goddess of coffee you call yourself." Draco reached for her apron when she snatched it away._

"_I can't let you filthy my workplace with your inexperienced hands. My coffee is holy and I can't let a mere commoner like you befoul the sanctuary."_

_Draco stood for a moment, speechless. He tried thinking of a comeback but his ego had been tarnished too much. Then, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the swinging door that stood between the two sides of the counter and dragged her out the door._

"_Watch the shop!" Ginny cried behind her as she was yanked out of her own coffee shop by the twins' professor._

_They looked blankly toward the door and Spencer slowly stood up._

"_I guess… I guess…"_

"_What the HELL was that?" Gaby pondered loudly, Spencer nodding in agreement._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"If you don't know already, I'm already very far from my shop and home, I have no idea where I am, there's no chance of me running away anymore no matter how much it crossed my mind as you dragged me to some unknown land, and my hand is turning purple, so please, Mr. Malfoy (a/n: sorry for the mistake previous chapter. I write these things pretty late. : ) let go of my wrist." Ginny grumbled. Draco looked down at her hand and released her immediately.

"Sorry, I didn't realize what a strong grip I had." He said apologetically.

"Yes, well, apology taken. Just tell me where we are and I won't ask questions."

"I am taking you to my place."

Ginny stopped in middle of the barren road. "I'm sorry, Draco, but I never thought of you in that way."

"I'm making you coffee." He said, simply, an embarrassed blush creeping up both their cheeks.

"You're a wizard, aren't you? Couldn't we have um… apparated?"

"I haven't been apparating for a while. I got splinched last year. Dreadful experience, absolutely scarring."

"Well… well, are we almost there yet?" She asked, wincing at the pain in her feet.

Draco stopped and proudly put his hands on his hips.

"Welcome. This is the property of the Malfoy estate."

Ginny stared up into the large… apartment building. At first glance, the walls on the outside looked like classic ivy, but when Ginny got closer, the green was actually a gigantic collection of mold. The windows were either grimy with dust or broken or just completely not there.

"You, Draco Malfoy, live in this dump?"

"Yes."

"You're kidding me." She gaped.

"Yes, I am kidding. You are looking at my second job. I own this entire complex… and let's just say, the rest of the block. I actually live right next to here, in that mansion, do you see it? You can't miss it." Draco drawled, smirking haughtily.

Ginny glared at him sideways. "And as humble as ever."

Draco led her down the street and in front of an elegant, white mansion, shining and illuminating next to the run down dump next door.

"Welcome to my house, lovely Weasley."

"Why I am so honored to be invited by such an earnest man of such demure and deference." Ginny sarcastically insinuated saccharinely. He held the door open for her as she entered into the marble entrance hall.

"Take off your shoes." He reminded, her, then stopped and turned around, grinning madly.

"What?"

"It's just… hah, well I just realized I've never had anyone over at the mansion since I got it for myself."

"Well, I don't have to be…" She said, putting her shoes back on.

"No!" He lunged out, grabbing her wrist again. "No, it's fine. Come on, the kitchen is this way." He said leading Ginny into his immense castle of a mansion.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Gaby Weasley was late for defense against the dark arts.

Of course, she never cared before, but her professor already knew her and was already close and quite "friendly" with her aunt. So she could not sly away this time.

The bell had rung minutes ago and she was still sprinting down the stone steps, buttoning her top and tying up her hair. She had passed out after Quidditch practice. Skidding onto the second floor, she made a baseball slide to the classroom and flew in through the door.

"Sorry, professor, I'm late."

"And indeed you are, Miss Weasley. Please sit and get started. I am testing to see how much knowledge you already know. It won't count toward your grade but keep in mind that low grades will be taken into consideration for er… some help in this subject because you are in for a difficult year."

Gaby gaped at the tall blonde. "I was never told of a test, professor."

"Which is the point. I would like to see how much is in your head and not crammed in a minute before class."

From the corner of her eye, Gaby could see Spencer snickering, knowing very well who in the class will be failing the test.

As time flew by, Draco was quite entertained by the obscene faces Gaby was making behind the test.

"Time's up. Turn in your tests and read from page 16, silently." Draco called, collecting the pieces of parchment, eager to read Gaby's first.

Describe what the shield charm is and when it would be the best to use.

The shield charm is a charm to shield oneself. One can use this when one is fat and ugly and has nobody who is willing to save he/she. Especially when one is a she. What are knights in shining armor for, then? To protect a woman, to shield her from harm. That is when a shield charm can be used. It can also be used when one is being assaulted and sexually molested because nobody wants that to happen. Unless they are that sex-deprived and that desperate for some jamming. Which is just plainly pathetic.

What is the spell used to repel dementors?

The spell used to repel dementors is avada kedavra. Because that unspeakable spell can repel anything. I know from experience. Just kidding.

What is the correct method for ridding a boggart?

We once had a boggart in the closet and my mom freaked out so much because boggarts would scar "her beauty" and my dad was too lazy to do anything about it so my aunt had to go and get rid of it herself. Of course, I wasn't there when she actually did it because I was so small so my mom made me potato salad sandwiches in the kitchen as my aunt battled the boggart. So I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to this because I wasn't there then.

Describe a werewolf.

We learned about this in our third year. I remember because that was when Dan Billan and I snogged in Filch's broom closet but he walked in on us. This was also my first kiss, by the way, and we had detention for a week. And I failed the test on werewolves because I spent all the time with Dan. Which was so pointless because we broke up after one month. I found him cheating on me with Lisa Morgan, that little conniving bitch! But I don't mind, I knew she had a crush on him since probably our first year and to be honest, I only started dating Dan because I wanted to make her jealous because she stole my crackers one time at lunch. And my crackers are my crackers; nobody touches my crackers. Get your own goddamn crackers, merlins.

Describe the properties of a vampire

Yeah. I don't know any of this stuff, professor. Get me a tutor, but preferably a good looking male. Not my brother, even though I know he probably got a hundred percent on this (he did) because that's called incest.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco snapped his neck up, his eyes slapping open painfully. All meetings at Hogwarts were extremely boring and the Head's meeting was no exception. Draco glanced around the classroom, met a sleepy eye of Spencer next to him and grinned a little; both acknowledging each other's silent words.

McGonagall stood up. "Now, could the head boy make any announcements?"

A brown haired boy with unruly curly locks who Draco could not recognize from anywhere, no matter how much he tried to remember, stood up from one end of the table and cleared his throat.

"Thank you, professor. Now I will try to be the least boring as possible. Apparently, the girl's bathroom on the fourth floor is a total mess. I'm not the right person to talk about this but uh, well, bottom line is that more girls are beginning to er… mature… and er… well go through… er… the uh, menstruation cycle before learning about it back at home and er… well, the point is that the bathrooms need cleaning and the girls need a brief lesson on the natural human cycle of puberty. Also two of the sinks are broken. And on the other side of the sexual genetics code, we have found the first year boys who have been launching paper missiles into the ivy vines that surround the school. They have received a brutal beating from me so it is all taken care of. And after prefects and heads reporting from duties around the school, we have all found that the unused History of Magic classroom and the unused Potions storage room have become a popular site for er… horny teenagers with a plethora of aphrodisiac lust in their premature bodies. Yes. I'm done."

Draco chuckled as the head boy sat down promptly and Professor McGonagall tried to cover up the awkward silence that followed his report.

"Who's that?" Draco leaned over to ask Spencer who was now dozing off in the chair next to him.

"The head boy?"

"Yeah. And why haven't I seen him before?"

"Oh you have, it's just that he's a metamorphmagus. He's a seventh year, Slytherin actually. The first Slytherin head boy for about a century. You don't even know the prefects and heads of your house?"

Draco scratched his neck, ashamed. "I'm… pretty out of it usually." He had never been fully awake in every single meeting and the whole teaching business had gone straight over his head. Sometimes, he woke up and got out of his room only to find students in the classroom, waiting for him.

"Oh yes. I can tell." Spencer snorted. "Anyways, everyone calls him Mike, don't ask him for his real name. One of the brightest guys Hogwarts has ever seen in since Dumbledore walked the halls."

Draco glanced at the curly haired boy again, who was leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, and Draco gave an impressed nod. "Ah. The lazy genius, eh."

"Maybe. McGonagall hates him though. She only gave him the head position because it was almost like an obligation to do so." Spencer sighed. "Ever since I was a first year here, Mike was always my hero. A metamorphmagus, the youngest registered animagus in Europe, never had to study for his O.W.L's and still got 12 Oustandings, a swift Quidditch player, good looking, everything. A perfect role model. No matter how much I work, I would never be as good as Mike." Spencer stared at the head boy admiringly.

"A little obsessed, aren't you?"

He nodded, sighing like a fan girl. "Who wouldn't be?"

"I bet he's got all the girls on his feet."

"Well, yes, of course, but problem is that we think he's gay."

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Gay?"

"He's never had a single girlfriend his whole Hogwarts career."

"Ah, he's probably just too good for one."

"Probably. Pity he's a Slytherin. No offense or anything, but you wouldn't think that this era's legend is a Slytherin."

Draco frowned. "There's nothing wrong with Slytherins!"

Spencer cleared his throat. "Yes. Yes."

"Hmph."

"Seeing at how many eyes are actually awake, I now dismiss this meeting. You may leave." Professor McGonagall scowled, pushing her chair in. Draco began to make his way to the head boy but he was already conversing with a striking girl who wore dramatic eye make up and a school skirt that was dangerously short. He walked over and stood waiting behind him.

"Ophelia, you're the prefect. You've got to stop messing around." The head boy mumbled in a low tone.

The girl smiled shamelessly. "Can't help it, big mama, I'm a woman full of love to share."

"Yes, but it's quite humiliating when I speak of teenagers with hyperactive hormones and those teenagers happen to be my own house's prefect. Get your act together and if you're going to go around having loads of raunchy sex everywhere, go find somewhere where nobody can find you."

"I'll try, mama."

"If I get another report about you, I'll have to get strict on you and gasp, maybe even give you detention from now on."

"Yes mama."

"I'm assigning you to duty with Spencer Weasley. The only decent prefect around here. Don't fool around, okay? Don't bring shame to the Slytherins."

"Yes, mama." She grumbled without really listening and left the room with her giggly blonde haired girlfriends.

"Hey, Mike?" Draco tapped the head boy on the shoulder which he lazily twisted his neck around. "Oh, Professor!" He bowed his head slightly yet managed to be quite polite. "How do you do?"

"Hey, man, nice to talk to you finally one to one. I heard great things about you." Draco beamed.

"Oh, well I've been meaning to speak to you too about loads of things."

"Yes, yes, well, we'll think about that another time. Do you have a moment? I heard you're an exceptional student and I was wondering if you'd like to be a tutor for a student of mine?"

Mike stared blankly back at Draco. "Uh… tutor?"

"Yeah. A student of mine completely failed her pre test. And this is O.W.L year for her. And knowing what a fantastic student you are and all…"

"Why… I don't know, professor, if I have the time and all for it… but…" Mike scratched his head, pausing.

Draco slapped him on the back. "But you're willing to help your head of the house out! Great! Come by my classroom this Friday at five. You're a good sport." Patting his back, Draco left the room before Mike could say anything.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_To: Miss Weasley_

_Due to your rather entertaining yet dismal pre test results, I have assigned a non-related tutor for you for tonight at five o'clock. Please come to my classroom promptly._

_-Professor Malfoy._

Gaby shoved the note back into her pocket and stretched out on the grass under her tree. It was now 10:30 and she had not yet picked up her feet to the castle. Sighing she rolled around on the sharp grass, the night wind sweeping over her.

A slight clearing of a throat stopped her and she looked up. She could barely make out a figure of a raven haired boy with black square cut glasses and pale eyes, whom she had never seen at school before, stood above her smiling widely, his clean white teeth glimmering.

"Are you Gaby Weasley?"

"No. It's Yolanda. Gaby's horseback riding. She'll be back in about an hour. Would you like to leave a message?" She asked, sitting up.

"Could you tell her that her poor books have been abandoned as I found them strewn all over here next to you?"

"Oh yes, she is such a ditz at times!" Chuckling like an old British lady, she patted the grass next to her. "Would you like to sit a bit?"

"Why certainly." He sat, picking up the Defense against the dark arts textbook and flipping through the pages. "Ah, how swell to leave every page unmarked. A clean student, I can see off the bat."

"Oh yes, she has her brilliant moments."

"So tell me more of this Gabrielle Weasley. She's a good friend of yours, yes?" He asked, his eyes twinkling.

"One of the best. What more can I say? She's gorgeous, she's hilarious, a genius and the world's best Quidditch player." 'Yolanda' said, closing her eyes.

"Anything I should be aware of?"

She sat up. "She's flawless. And oh, gentle knight, why do you ask?"

"A man's curiosity never fades. So, G-Yolanda, what brings you out here in this busy afternoon?"

"My eyes were begging for a rest. I can't bear to think too much. My brain capacity is not very large. And you? Gentle knight, I don't even know your name!"

He smiled. "The name is Mike. But feel free to call me Sir Mike if it pleases you."

"Oh, it pleases me, Sir Mike." She giggled, daintily placing her hand over her lips.

"And so, m'lady, may I escort you back inside to our castle? The night is growing darker and I won't be able to be enchanted by your beauty in the black." He stretched out his hand, offering it to Gaby which she took graciously.

"Why of course, if you insist."

Walking back to the castle, Gaby suddenly realized that she had left her books at the tree. When she stopped walking, turning back to the tree, Mike laughed.

"Miss Weasley? I took the liberty of taking your books." Holding out 3 books, she blushed, taking them and stuffing them back into her bag.

"How did you know I would be outside?"

"Well, Professor Malfoy was going to wait for you but he happened to see you under the tree and sent me down to meet you. Defense against the dark arts, eh?"

"Ah yes, so you ARE my tutor then, I assume?"

"At your service."

"Well, Sir Mike, I'm quite glad I didn't get some jerkface. Or my brother."

"Spencer Weasley?"

"My one and only kin at this school."

Mike let out an "Ohhh" of realization. "I thought so because there aren't many Weasleys around. Twins, then, right? He's a good guy. The only decent prefect this year."

"You're a prefect too?"

"No, I just… have my connections." Mike said, smirking. Professor Malfoy was not the only one who didn't know who the Head Boy was.

"Ah, well, don't tell my brother I'm already failing a class. He never forgets about it for the rest of the year."

"Don't worry. This tutoring business will be strictly confidential."

Finally, reaching the steps of the school, they stopped and turned to face each other.

"And Lady Weasley, please don't forget about your lessons next week."

"Of course, humble knight. I will be seeing you again then next week at this time?"

"Certainly. Good day to you." He smiled, walking off in the opposite direction.

Chuckling, Gaby set off back to her dormitory.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Standing in front of the unused History of Magic classroom, Spencer sighed. He hated doing so but the giggling and moaning was too much for just the first hour of his rounds. Pushing open the door, he looked away from the sight before him.

"Alright, playtime's over. Get back to your rooms and stay in there."

He listened, but he heard no shuffling of feet or rushed zipping of pants. Instead, he heard a girl giggle.

"Party pooper."

"Excuse me?" Spencer turned, insulted, only to turn back immediately, seeing the half naked couple on the desks.

"Can't you give us a bit more time? I'm only showing him a thing or two. It'll only be a minute." The girl said.

Spencer frowned. "Uh… no. It's past curfew. Shall I take off points too?"

"Ah, well, we certainly don't want that, do we? Okay. We'll go." Spencer could hear the girl whispering something as they slowly gathered their belongings.

The boy walked out, a pale, slightly scared looking redhead. After a few moments, the girl appeared, buttoning up her shirt.

"Okay. Hi. I'm Ophelia. Ready for rounds now?" She asked, sticking her hand out, flashing him her Prefect badge.

Spencer stared back at her dumbly.

"You mean you were the girl in the room?"

"Oh yes. We have our weekly lessons. You see, he's trying to get himself a girl in our house and I teach him every week how to do that. You saw him, he's a little awkward but very sexy when he wants to be. Ah, young love. Anyways, I'm really sorry this is how we end up meeting but it will happen again because he does pay me for his art of seduction lessons. Just a heads up, you know?" She said, winking.

"Yo-Thi- You can't do this! You're a prefect, nonetheless the prefect on duty. You're supposed to set the example."

"Oh, come off it, Hogwarts only has that stupid rule because they don't want to deal with some kind of teenage pregnancy or something. But see, little Scottie and I don't do that. I'm merely teaching him basic things, you know, like kissing, being on a date, etc."

Sighing, seeing that he was hopeless before her stubbornness, Spencer shook his head. "I am rendered speechless by your audacity."

Smiling charmingly, she stroked his cheek with her index finger, letting it drop. "And I by your naivety. Come on, Prefect, let's get the show on the road."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco knocked on the door, the door that he now had an urge to call his second home.

"Yes, come in, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco made his grand entrance, grinning like a mad idiot.

"You know you don't have to knock every time you come over, right?" Ginny grumbled, wiping off the counter. Draco, after finding the passageway, became a midnight regular and even Ginny had begun to get used to his presence.

"Let me make you coffee."

"How many times do I have to tell you, professor, my kitchen is my kitchen."

"But, that day when you came over, you said I made terrific coffee!" Draco exclaimed.

"No, YOU said that you made terrific coffee and I could do nothing but just smile and nod."

"Really, Weasley, what did you think of it?" he challenged.

"Aromatic and bittersweet, but only because your coffee maker costs about as much as this country. It's actually too tangy at times and loses its volume too quickly. A bit boring. It becomes plain black water after it stops steaming. Uneven, too… need I say more? Even the twins make better coffee than you." Ginny replied, without a single moment of hesitation, sadistically grinning, watching Draco become disheartened at every word.

"I am crestfallen." Draco pouted.

"O, lo, I shed hot tears for thee."

"I just realized… that was the first time I ever made coffee for someone." Draco said, sitting down on his regular stool.

"Ah, looks like you've had many firsts with me, eh? First time inviting someone to your place, first time making coffee for someone, and first time… tasting REAL coffee here instead of the normal trash you make yourself." She replied, her eyes shining.

"Ah, there's one thing I haven't done with you."

"And?"

"Well… I've never kissed a Weasley before." He said, winking.

"And now you flirt." Ginny turned back to the coffee maker, pouring house coffee into a mug and passing it to Draco.

"I'm not flirting, I'm flattering! You know how little I get paid at Hogwarts and being a frequent customer of yours isn't helping me make ends meet…" Draco stumbled off with his words, taking a sip.

Ginny burst out into laughter. "You live in a mansion, Malfoy. And lo and behold, why do you think I haven't kicked you out of this place by now? Half my profits come from you. You'll never be getting free drinks from me."

"We'll see about that."

"Moving on, how is school? Maybe it's because they're in their fifth year but the twins rarely come now."

"Oh, yes, did you know that the head boy this year is from MY house? A Slytherin? Our very own Slytherin is the genius of the school. Isn't that simply amazing?" Draco beamed.

Ginny stared at him, gaping. "No, Malfoy, what's more amazing is that you never knew that. A student from your own house is Head Boy and you find out now? Do you know ANYTHING that goes on in the school?"

"Nope. I sometimes don't even know my own schedule. I have to ask the kids in the classroom what year they're in. Or even once, I came back from jogging in the morning, only to find a classroom full of third years. I realized that I really should not be dozing off during the staff meetings."

"Um… yes, I quite agree with you there."

"Well, anyways, this head boy, man, I am so proud of him. In fact, he's Gaby's defense against the dark arts tutor."

Ginny blinked blankly. "Gaby has a tutor? And I never heard of this?"

Draco sat, his mouth hanging open. "Shit."

"GABY HAS A TUTOR? IT'S ONLY BEEN A WEEK AND A HALF OF SCHOOL AND SHE'S ALREADY FAILING?"

"Well, that secret's blown. Might as well mention how she didn't exactly show up."

"SHE DIDN'T SHOW UP? THAT'S it. Mr. Malfoy, next time you show up here, make sure that you bring Gaby along as well. I need to have a little chat with her." Ginny said, seething.

"Come on now, calm down. She just came in late for the pretest and didn't do as well so I just recommended one…"

"If you're not bringing her here, I'll be going over there." Ginny said, stalking toward the counter door and entering the other side. Draco reached over to try to stop her.

"Come on, it's not a big deal."

"It wouldn't have been if she didn't try to make this all HUSH HUSH business. And to be failing in the first week of school, that's pathetic." Ginny fumed, whipping her apron off and throwing it where ever it landed.

From then, things happened too quickly for it to sink into Draco that her apron had unfortunately found its target to be Draco's mug, which toppled over, spilling all over the floor. Draco had back away from the waterfall of black liquid quick enough but before he knew it Ginny was speeding right by him, one foot landing into the puddle as Ginny fell backwards in slow motion. Working on impulse, Draco slid down to the ground face first, soaking his shirt in scorching hot coffee as Ginny tumbled gracefully (and quite comically) on top of him.

Draco screamed out in pain, he could feel the little hairs on his chest sizzling.

Ginny lifted herself up enough for Draco to flip his body so that he could feel his nose which had previously just been smashed into the ground.

"Thank you." She sighed, trying her best to stifle a giggle that she felt coming.

"You. Are. Very. Welcome." Draco groaned, glaring up at Ginny, biting her lip, and sighing. He propped himself up, but came face to face with Ginny who was too busy trying not to laugh that she didn't realize how close he was.

Sitting in the pool of coffee, feeling pain in every body part of his, nothing looked more beautiful than the disheveled Ginny Weasley who sat before him. His instincts as a man led him to lean in… slowly… he pulled himself up more using his arms until he could breath the same air that she exhaled. She stopped inwardly chuckling, realizing that Draco Malfoy was going to kiss her any second. Extending his arm off the ground, he went in for the kiss, his target: her slightly parted lips….

_BAM_

His arms gave out below him and Draco slipped back, his back falling hard onto the ground again, and this time, he swore he heard a crack.

Ginny could no longer hold it in and she burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

The moment of intensity that they had shared just a second ago had evaporated as Draco lay writing in agony while Ginny watched in pure mirth.

She walked back behind the counter to retrieve a towel which she handed to him over the counter.

"Here you go… although I'm not quite sure how much it'd help…"

"Th-thank you. Yes, thank you very much for your concern."

Draco sat up, this time successfully, and reached up to grab the towel. Slowly, he peeled off his shirt which was sticking to him like scalding hot Velcro. Smirking, he stood up, knowing that she would be sure to get an incredible view of his body and she would stop her incessant giggling, rendered speechless.

But as he did so, another surprise came blasting in as the wooden doors to her shop swung open and a tall man, dressed in a muggle's suit attire barged in.

"Ginny."

Draco stared at this man blankly, who was on the other hand ignoring the half naked Draco completely.

"Jake?" Ginny scuffled out from behind the counter.

"I'm back."

"Well, obviously, but what are you doing here?"

"I'm back and I don't care what father thinks. I missed you." Jack swiftly strode toward her, embracing her into a very sudden kiss. Draco stared awkwardly, shirtless and forgotten, not knowing what to say anymore.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As you see, now I'm desperate for a story. And it's been so long since I last updated, and I'm really really sorry. I've been away from this site because it's way too addictive and I needed to try to raise my grades up but it's already the end of the school year and it's already pretty hopeless so… yes. Here we go! But I sat in front of the computer for the longest time trying to pull out a chapter from my ass and this is the best I could find.

SO IF YOU'RE DISAPOINTED WITH THIS CHAPTER, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!

**GIVE ME IDEAS!**

**BECAUSE AS YOU CAN SEE, I'M SORT OF RUNNING OUT OF THEM. **

LET ME JUST SAY THAT JAKE IS GINNY'S BOYFRIEND WHO HAS BEEN AWAY IN ANOTHER COUNTRY FAR OFF SOMEWHERE AND HE IS THE MINISTER'S SON.

AND I'M STUCK AFTER THAT. SO YES. PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME THINK.

YOU DOO KNOW THAT THE MORE YOU UH. GIVE ME IDEAS, THE FASTER I'LL UPDATE RIGHT? XD

Anyways, I'll never be thankful enough for you reviewers. You guys are so patient with me and I really truly thank you for that. I'll be review replying. They're so fun : )

So sorry for an uneventful chapter and sorry for throwing out 3 new characters at you. I hate it when people do that but I'm turning into a hypocrite so sigh, too bad. Sorry sorry. I'm a sorry person.

Please review and leave LOTS of feedback hehehehehe

_Arabian Mocha Java_

_Mocha-Java is the world's oldest and most famous coffee blend. No doubt coffee drinkers in the 18th century Europe thought to combine the silky smooth qualitites of java coffee with the pungent, winy flavors of Arabian coffee, and we do essentially the same thing today... the result is a delicious, full bodied coffee with bittersweet chocolate overtones. _


	5. Gaia Organic blend

Hello people… it's been very long, hasn't it? Yes. I'm a slacker with a writer's block with ADD and that basically means slow updates. But now it's summer vacation and I'll be spending more time trying to rack out chapter. But I think I'm starting to develop some plot or something finally! I was wondering where this story was going… yeah… you'll find that out in the end of the chapter. And so to make up for the loooong wait, I have written a loooong chapter. So enjoy! Hope you guys don't get bored with it. Because I was starting too.

And I'm throwing in a lot of new characters so just to unconfused you all, I've made a small list (and some names you'll encounter in this chapter.)

**Draco Malfoy**: … you know, only the hottest man alive. Hehe

**Ginny Weasley**: the lovely lovely apple of Draco's eye. PAHA

**Spencer and Gaby Weasley**: The twins of Fleur and Bill who basically live and work with Ginny at the coffee place. Spencer- ambitious Gryff prefect. Gaby- ambitious Gryff Quidditch star.

**Ophelia**: Slytherin prefect. Sort of the 'school whore.' Is now Spencer's prefect duty partner.

**Mike Felton** (real name… TBA later in the story hehe): The genius metamorphmagus head boy who is now Gaby's DADA tutor.

**Jake Diggory**: Ginny's ex-boyfriend who has come back after about half a year.

**Anna Jenkins**: Obsessed head girl whose… quite interesting obsession will be introduced in this chapter.

**Jeremy**: School sort of bully who will be introduced in this chapter.

Hope you enjoy!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_But as he did so, another surprise came blasting in as the wooden doors to her shop swung open and a tall man, dressed in a muggle's suit attire barged in._

"_Ginny."_

_Draco stared at this man blankly, who was on the other hand ignoring the half naked Draco completely._

"_Jake?" Ginny scuffled out from behind the counter._

"_I'm back."_

"_Well, obviously, but what are you doing here?"_

"_I'm back and I don't care what father thinks. I missed you." Jack swiftly strode toward her, embracing her into a very sudden kiss. Draco stared awkwardly, shirtless and forgotten, not knowing what to say anymore._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Jake Diggory was the wizarding world's coverboy. If Draco Malfoy was considered good looking, Jake Diggory was considered gorgeous. If Draco Malfoy was considered gorgeous, Jake Diggory was considered Godly. If Draco Malfoy was considered Godly, Jake Diggory was in another country. And that's how things have been for the past six months. After the loss of his son, Cedric, Mr. Diggory had adopted an American wizard to raise, and Jake only ended up being better looking and smarter than Cedric. And being the son of the minister of magic, he was the most sought after man in Europe. However, little did Draco know that Ginny Weasley was the girl that broke out in a scandal with him almost a year back; Ginny Weasley, the innocent coffee shop owner.

Draco walked down the street of Diagon Alley, the night air hitting his bare chest sharply.

But nothing really mattered because at the moment, Draco felt nothing.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_(Several weeks later, just so you don't get confused or anything.)_

Anna Jenkins was not sure whether she wanted to cry or die. She watched the scene in front of her, trying to breathe properly; in out, in out, in out…

Mike Felton had been the Love Of Her Life for five years. He was incredibly charming, extremely witty, and completely naturally smart. She? She had done nothing for the past five years than bury herself under books and she had gone through more quills than all of the student body put together. She was just the "bookish Ravenclaw girl who lived in the library."

But in the end, it got her to where she wanted to be for five years. Head girl with of course, the head boy, Mike.

Do not underestimate her, readers. She was not in love with Mike Felton because of his dashing smile, unbeatable charm and wit, but because he _cared _about her. And nobody ever really cared about her. What was there to care about? She was just the "bookish Ravenclaw HEAD girl who lived in the library."

He _acknowledged _her presence, not only, he _respected _her. She knew he was the Love Of Her Life when he had picked up a fallen History of Magic book for her in the second year, smiled, asked her if she was okay and helped her all the way to class. HER. The nerd. The invisible girl. And he saw her.

So she fell in love.

And when she found out that she got the position of Head Girl with the Love Of Her Life, her glasses went into her closet, her hair was straightened out by her mother, and her teeth were fixed by Madame Pomfrey. And now she was the "PRETTY bookish Ravenclaw HEAD girl who lived in the library."

Because, of course, she would be sharing the Heads dorm with… the Love Of Her Life.

Today, he was an Aryan, blonde and blue eyed, with black reading glasses in a plain white tee and worn out jeans. One thing about him (out of many) that Anna loved the most was his modesty with everything he did, wore, or even looked like. He never dressed tackily or made a big deal about his 'look of the day.' He didn't flaunt his metamorphmagus abilities or speak of his perfect scores and grades. How much she could go on and on about him…

So, when she saw Gaby Weasley and the Love Of Her Life together in the common room, laughing about something unfunny that Gaby said as that tramp flaunted her perfect legs and giggled her bubbly giggle, she seethed. Anna had spent five years to get where she was and Gaby had come into his life just a month ago and they were the best of buddies now. They "studied" defense against dark magic in the common room twice a week, which just ended up as a flirt-fest. So Anna seethed and grew to hate the barely five foot Quidditch star who was stealing the Love Of Her Life from Anna's hard-worked grip.

It had been a month now, since he started bringing Gabrielle Weasley into the Heads Dorm because Professor Malfoy had kicked them out of the classroom. The chuckling had ceased and the dorm was once quiet once more. After about an hour of silence, Anna assumed it was safe to step out of the gloomy confines of her room to the common room, just to find her enemy spread out over THEIR sofa sleeping as the Love Of Her Life, the _perfect _gentleman he was, put a blanket over the girl's small frame.

"Oh, hey, Anne!" Oh, an adorable nickname he had for her.

"You two must have worked hard." She said, forcing a weak smile.

"Hardly. I've been trying so hard to get her to focus and do her work but she just has the shortest attention span I've ever seen. And I know if she just puts her mind to it, she can do it but ah, then again, nobody has same drive that you do."

"She's a charming girl. Quite good at Quidditch, I heard. Not like I haven't seen either. I mean, I watch a lot of games! Quidditch games! She's very good. Very skilled Quidditch player."

"Yes, well only if she put those skills into her studying. What have you been up to?" He asks about her! He cares!

"Oh well, you know, just… gobbling." _Gobbling?! Gobbling?! What the hell is gobbling?_

"Ah… gobbling. Well. I better clean up here and makes sure she gets back to her dorm by tomorrow."

"Yes… you uh… hey, I was just wondering since you're here and all if you can help me define a potion? Well, not define, but you know, well, I'm not really sure how to make one… Well I do know how to make it… well I should know because that's just ingredients and instructions but I'm not sure how to get started. Not get started, you know, uh, ingredients and stuff. I just… could you tell me if you know the ingredients to a potion?" Another thing Anna didn't like about herself was how much she rambled. Especially when she got nervous and es_pecially _around Mike. She just would never stop talking.

"Yeah, sure!"

"What do I need to make a… a… Fever Potion? I've been meaning to ask Snape for ages but I never really got around to it and well, you know, since you're pretty brilliant with potions and all, I mean, not to burden you or anything because I would never want you to be so-"

Mike chuckled. He chuckled! And he was just… so… cute… when he chuckled. And there he was, chuckling at something she must have said.

"Anne, you're rambling. It's a good thing you haven't asked Snape because he would send you to Madame Pomfrey for the Fever Potion because it's more remedial potions. But uh… you'd need some aceite, Pinewood syrup, a drop of mint or citrus, and probably some part of a unicorn. Why? Are you sick?" He reached out his hand to her forehead. Anna felt herself flushing completely. Who wouldn't? The Love Of Her Life was TOUCHING her.

And then, and then, and then, that beautiful, magical moment was broken when that, that, that, evil conniving spitball of flaming red hair sat up suddenly from THEIR sofa, diverting Mike's attention back to her.

"Holy MERLINS, THE GAME IS IN ONE WEEK." The _child _exclaimed loudly, jumping up, grabbing her bag and, thank goodness, running to the door.

"Gaby!" Mike cried. Anna sighed. What she would do for him to call out _her _name just once.

"Sorry, tutor, I think this, uh, session is, uh… well… see you Friday." She mumbled, fumbling with the portrait door.

"Gaby, it's past curfew. And no matter how much I can let you bend rules normally, my conscious won't let me just stand here and watch you venture into your dorm past curfew."

"Oh, come on, Mikey," _MIKEY? THAT GIRL HAS A NICKNAME FOR HIM? _"It's your fault I got stuck here so late. That's totally illegitimate. You should be given detention." Gaby blabbered, talking without really thinking at all.

"Yes, I'm sorry I didn't have the guts to wake you up after falling asleep _before _even reading the passage. But I was trying to save myself from a black eye." Mike said, walking toward the portrait, away, away, and away from Anna.

"You're a bloody metamorphmagus! Nobody gives a bloody care how you look."

"How about I'll take you to your dorm and make sure you don't take any detours or such. Filch has warned me about your late nights in the kitchens." He said, grabbing his wand and lounge cloak.

Pushing her vibrant locks out of her face, she sighed. "You owe me a hot fudge sundae now."

"And you owe me an essay on Grindylows by Friday. Take care of your fever, Anna; if you want, I can whip you up the potion right after I take this bugger back to bed." Mike said.

Anna Jenkins was not forgotten.

"Fever? Do you have a fever?" The fireball next to the Love Of Her Life asked.

"Oh, I don't know, I've been feeling quite… _flustered_ today." Anna turned on her heel back to her room when the fireball exclaimed, "Wait!"

No. She did not want to wait for her enemy. Why should she? Anna could barely even glance at the girl's flawless features.

"My brother gets these random fever strokes since he was five. If you'd like, I have a perfect remed-"

"NO. I mean, no. No, no, no it's fine. It's okay, I'm okay. I'm perfectly fine. I don't need, I don't… I'm good. I'm very healthy. It's fine. Thank you but no thanks because, I'm okay. Yeah. Okay." Anna stammered, rambling again.

"Get some sleep. I think you really need it. See, if you stayed up studying like Anna, you'd be so much better off, Gaby, instead of staying up fooling around or partying. Learn from your Head Girl's example."

"Head girl, no way! Head girls aren't supposed to be pretty!" Gaby cried, gaping at Anna. Anna blushed, even if she was being complimented by the enemy.

"Who'd you think it was?" Mike asked her.

"Your girlfriend?"

Mike and Anna both fell into fits of laughter but for different reasons. Anna thought that maybe the girl wasn't half as bad anymore.

"So that would mean you're smart and pretty and head girl and wow, is there anything you aren't?" Gaby pouted enviously.

"Mike's girlfriend." Anna blurted a bit too quickly, then turned beet red again.

"Well watch out, because sooner or later, this perverted head boy will take advantage of the handy Head dorms…" Gaby trailed off as Mike pushed her out the portrait door, and with a wave, left Anna in the dorms again, all alone.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Tell me, perfect prefect, what do you like about books so much? You're always so engrossed in one." Ophelia asked as she trudged, bored behind him. It was almost the end of their duties and Spencer had not spoken a single word to her.

"Punishment." Spencer replied, dully flipping through the pages of his Transfiguration book.

"Punishment? For what?"

"I don't know… anything, I guess."

"You're not much of a conversationalist, are you."

Sighing, he closed the book and turned to look at her. "I used to force myself to read something dreadfully boring if I did something bad like break Mother's china or something, but now I guess it's more like a habit. There's nothing much to punish myself about, seeing that I AM a perfect prefect. But sometimes when Gaby gets herself into trouble, fails her classes, I read because it's my fault I couldn't look out for her enough. Is that a sufficient enough reason? Shall I elaborate?"

"But hey, look, it turned out fantastic for you, since you're like the smartest person in our grade."

Spencer cleared his throat with modesty. "There are plenty of smart people."

"Yes, but you're the one with the superlative."

"There are lots of different kinds of smart people. I'm all books, but know nothing about reality, life, love, emotions, ah, you get the gist. Why am I telling you all of this again?"

"Because I'm curious."

"Ah well then, I've been wanting to ask you something for a while now…"

Ophelia giggled. "You want to go to Hogsmeade with me, huh. Because if that's the case, I'm going to have to decline since I've already had so many requests and the waiting list is quite full but I suppose if you fight for it…"

"No, no, not that, it's just that I've been hearing footsteps for the last five minutes and I was just wondering if it's just me."

Frowning, Ophelia and Spencer stopped walking. Indeed, the footsteps were there and coming their way.

"Do you suppose it's a student?" She asked. "Ooh, maybe a secret rendezvous with a couple? Let me be a hypocrite and break them up, oh, can I?"

"No need, doll, it's just me."

From around the corner, a rugged student obnoxiously sauntered over to the two prefects, both with looks of distaste written all over their face.

"Ah. Jeremy." Ophelia muttered, rolling her eyes. This "bad boy" gave himself the title of the "hot, sexy, highly wanted school bully" and marched through the corridors as if he owned them.

"Hey, doll, missed me much?" he asked, grabbing Ophelia around her waist and leaning her down, devouring her lips. Spencer watched awkwardly, as his prefect partner was consumed whole by Jeremy. When he finally let go of her, she sighed, straightened out her shirt and glared at him.

"20 points from Slytherin for harassing a prefect and I could take off more."

Jeremy smirked. "Oh, come on, you didn't use to care but now you're hanging around this prissy cat and got your knickers in a twist. Ah, well, at least you've started wearing them now."

Ophelia rolled her eyes. "Witty."

"Anyways, how's Hogsmeade sounding? We can grab a few butterbeers and make love in Shrieking Shack the rest of the time; they won't ever find us in there." Jeremy slurred, winking.

"Piss off; I wasn't kidding about those points, you know."

Jeremy bowed. "Yesssss, ma'am."

"So rude." Ophelia muttered.

"Yeah, but that's not the main problem." Spencer said, sniffing. "I think he's been drinking."

"I thought I smelled something nasty but then again, trash like him always smells like vermin. All right, I'm taking you to Mike."

At the sound of Mike's name, Jeremy stood up straight, eyes wide open. "Oh, no, no, no, I'm, uh, going to head down to uh, the baths. Good luck and good night." Jeremy said, sliding by past them.

"I think it's a bit too late to avoid anything now…" Ophelia said, her eyes twinkling.

Jeremy turned back around to see Mike standing in front of them with Spencer's sister behind him.

"What's going on here? A party I wasn't invited to?" Gaby piped up.

"Jeremy, here, has been drinking." Ophelia said, smirking.

"Drinking? Underage? After curfew? Blasphemy. Jeremy would do no such thing. He already promised me he wouldn't the first two times." Mike said, smiling broadly at Jeremy.

"Aw, come on, Mikey, let me off this time, hm?" Jeremy pleaded, his eyes wide with fear.

"Let you off of what? What, what, was Ophelia really telling me the truth?" Mike asked, gasping dramatically. "Don't tell me my favorite juvenile was actually drinking! Underage! After curfew?!"

"You're evil." Ophelia muttered, shaking her head. "Stop teasing the boy and give him a detention or two already."

"Detention? Is that all Jeremy gets for getting caught drinking underage after curfew for the third time?"

"This is the last time, I swear."

"Which was what you said last time. All right you're coming with me. Could you two take the trouble child back to her dorm?" Mike asked, pointing toward Gaby.

"How could you call me a trouble child when Jeremy is right next to you?" Gaby exclaimed wildly.

"What, may I ask, is going on here?" The classroom door right next to the five students slammed open and a very ragged Professor Malfoy stepped out in his pajamas with his wand out.

"Professor! We didn't mean to wake you." Spencer apologized, the rest of them bowing their heads.

"If you didn't mean to wake me, then you wouldn't be making all this bloody noise right outside my bloody classroom! All of you, detention this Friday!" Draco declared crankily. "Oh, gods, what time is it?"

"Just past one now, sir."

"Aw, bloody hell, now I can't go back to sleep. Detention to all of you next Friday as well! Twins! Take me to that bloody coffee shop." Draco barked.

"Yes sir."

"Ophelia, tell me you weren't caught by Mike with this bastard." Draco said, glaring at Jeremy.

"Bloody hell, no, Professor. Spence and I just found him wandering around school drunk."

"Drinking, eh? Merlins, even I didn't start that until seventh year. Fifty points off Slytherin and there's detention for 2 months for you, Jeremy. And you take it from here, Mike."

"Aye, sir."

Draco grabbed his cloak hanging by the door and closed it. "Now, I need my bloody coffee."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Why, Mr. Malfoy, it's been quite some time since I saw you last. And how nice of you to come at such an hour!" Ginny said when she heard the door of her shop slam shut and robes being thrown on the sofa. "And I see you brought my stranger twins. You two certainly visit often."

"Sorry, aunt, but Professor's been keeping all the heads and prefects go busy for no apparently reason suddenly." Spencer grinned sheepishly.

"And you know, the opening game is next week. And all the players are so bloody pathetic." Gaby sighed, spreading out over one of the tables.

Draco took his normal seat on the counter. "I've been trying to get to know my heads and everyone after finding out that the head boy is a Slytherin. And dear Spence made me feel so ashamed when I found out I didn't know who any of the prefects were."

"How have you been coping without my coffee?"

"Ah, keeping myself busy. And I learned that if you mix the decaf and regular coffee together with a few drops of water, to the school coffee, it's not too bad. Well, nothing compared to what you have to offer me. Give me something dark."

"Oh yeah, we gave Professor a bit of trouble." Spencer said, stepping in behind the counter and fixing himself a steaming coffee au lait.

"Some trouble? It's past my bedtime! You know I can't go back to sleep after 1 AM."

"… no professor, we didn't know that." Gaby muttered.

"Well, you should have guessed! When a man who looks like I do doesn't get enough sleep, do you know what would happen?"

"Oh no, let me guess, a blemish?" Gaby exclaimed sarcastically.

"No, worse! Black circles!" Draco cried out, groaning.

"Oh please, there's nothing a little make up can't cover." Ginny snorted.

Draco cleared his throat. "Real men do not wear makeup."

"Yes and real men do not freak out over black circles." Ginny replied, sliding Draco's mug to his open hands.

"Yes, but," Draco took a sip. "Someone named best looking bachelor of the year should."

"It's not a beauty pageant. And who cares how pretty you are if you're a monster on the inside."

"I am… I am NOT a monster! I am a kind hearted, loving, caring, sensitive man."

"Oh please, professor, you burdened us with work to prepare for some banquet that you're starting up this year. For no reason." Spencer chirped.

"You won't be complaining while you guys are partying away at the banquet. I mean, seriously, Weasley, help me out. Wasn't the thing you wanted more while at school balls and banquets?" Draco asked. Ginny nodded.

"Oddly, I agree with you there. We only had the Yule Ball and because of the war and all, we only had one while I was still at school. And I was stuck with Neville Longbottom." Ginny sighed wistfully. "I'd actually be thanking Professor Malfoy for starting up banquets."

"See, thank you. This is for your own goods. Because I am always constantly thinking of a way to please my students." Draco smiled brightly.

"But it makes me question your manliness if you talk about how much you _longed _to have more banquets at school. I mean, honestly, men are supposed to hate these things." Ginny said.

Draco blinked a few times, and then recovered. "Growing up in such prestige that my family held, balls and parties were like a daily routine for me. And plus, banquets mean girls in dress robes which means horny girls who are willing to give themselves up to handsome princes like me."

"Please, professor, not in front of the children!" Ginny pleaded dramatically.

Draco chuckled. "Ah, well, anyways, the moral of the story is that banquets are worth the work."

"Gee, wiz, you kids are so lucky. It's been so long since I've been to a banquet and my dress robe's collecting a lot of dust." Ginny sighed.

Draco tapped his fingers on the counter. "Well… well… if you want… you can come too…"

"How? I'm sure the limit is only to Hogwarts students."

"Oh, you must come!" Gaby exclaimed, jumping out of her seat. "It'll be so fun! You can go with professor. It's okay. You're alumni too."

"Ah, stop dreaming, Gaby. Besides, I'm sure your _dashing _professor here has already found himself a hot date." Ginny said, grinning.

Draco cleared his throat. "Well, actually, I've been so preoccupied, I haven't really thought of it… but… I wouldn't mind taking you, Weasley."

Ginny gaped at him. "You would stoop so low to ask a Weasley to a banquet? Where you'll be seen with her and all? Wow."

"Oh, put the past behind us. Would you like to go to the banquet with me, _Ginevra _Weasley?" He asked, protruding his hand to her, smirking devilishly.

"Why… I _guess… _I guess I have no choice but to go with you. Thank you." Ginny said, ignoring his hand and taking his empty mug.

The twins high fived each other and resumed to their bittersweet drinks when their good spirits were ruined by the whipping of the counter curtain and the man who came out from behind, in Ginny's room.

"Merlins, it's almost two in the morning! What the hell is going on?" Jake mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Jake?" The twins' eyes turned cold.

"Oh, look who we have here! Hey kids." Jake smiled feebly, waving. "Ginny, baby, what's happening?"

"The twins here came with their professor for a drink. Go back to bed, Jake."

Jake stared blankly at Ginny, then turned, catching Draco's eye and froze. Draco looked down at his shoes.

"Well, who's this fine lad? This can't be their professor, now, is he?"

"Yes he is. Defense against the dark arts. Now go back to bed, Jake."

"The surprise of the century. The ex-most-wanted criminal in the ministry's running around Hogwarts teaching defense against the dark arts?" Jake sneered.

"He's a good guy, remember?" Ginny warned, flashing him with a glare. Jake walked over to Ginny and slid an arm around her waist.

"Nobody would be dumb enough to put a felon in Hogwarts, Jake, even if it was you." Spencer said from the other side of the counter.

"I had no idea about this. Well well, this is what happens when I'm gone for half a year, huh." Jake said.

"Jake… have you been working out?" Gaby asked, smiling broadly and battering her eyelashes.

Jake chuckled. "Well not really, but I have been lifting quite a bit…"

"Oh really, because I really can't tell."

Ginny shot Gaby a cold look. "Gaby!"

"Just making an observation, auntie."

"It's okay. I mean, being shipped off in Siberia for half a year doesn't do so much for complexion."

"And evidently, brains as well." Spence muttered.

"Spencer!"

Jake chuckled. "These two…"

"So did you have fun in Siberia? While you left our poor aunt all alone with no visit, no call, letter, note, for the past six months?"

"I've been being watched for almost a year now, I mean, Ginny, you understand…"

"Yes, I do, it's just these two rascals who don't…"

"Anyways, Draco Malfoy, the defense against the dark arts professor. I never would have imagined it. Just several years ago, you were sitting in trial for being a, uh, death eater, yes? I remember that quite clearly…"

"And people change, Jake." Ginny said, shooting him another look under her overcast eyelashes. "And I will not have you abuse my customers."

Jack grinned. "I would never dream of it, doll."

"You're such an asshole." Gaby muttered, grabbing her cloak and charging out of the store.

"Gab- Gaby, GABRIELLE WEASLEY!" Ginny screamed but she did not return. "Merlins, that, child…"

Draco sighed. "I'll go get her. I did drag the two of them out here at the break of midnight. Sorry to bother you. Hope you have a, uh, a nice… time. I'll owl about the banquet. Coming, Spence?"

"Yeah, I'm coming."

Draco nodded, sipped his coffee and went chasing after Gaby.

"Gaby'll get over it, Auntie. She's just having some… hard times. But really, I have to agree with her; you're really dating a jerk." Spencer glared at Jack then pecked his aunt on the cheek. "Bye."

Spencer ran to catch up with Gaby and the professor when Gaby made a sudden stop.

"Hold on… professor, you're totally smitten for my aunt."

Draco felt his jaw dropping. "What?!"

"Just admit it, you're totally obsessed about her."

"What?!"

Spencer sighed. "Thing is, professor, we hate Jake."

"He's an asshole."

"Well, he's got a lot of good going for him." Draco tried to offer, but the twins shook their heads.

"He only CARES about the good things going for him. He went for our aunt because she was the only person nice enough to deal with him. But doesn't want to publicize her, of course, because she's not a tall model-esque rich socialite who's worth showing off." Gaby ranted.

"And then he leaves her for half a year once some stupid scandal breaks out without telling her because he's too humiliated to be known having an affair with a coffee shop owner. And… I can't believe he's back!" Spencer sighed again, kicking a lone can on the street.

"And the way he treated you, man, what a supercilious bastard!" Gaby groaned, opening the entrance to their secret passageway.

"It's fine. I mean, the stuff he said about me wasn't wrong or anything." Draco said, trying to calm down the fiery twins beside him.

"He acts all superior and mighty just because he's the minister's son and all… I really don't understand Aunt Ginny's tastes sometimes."

"Listen guys, I'm totally okay. I'm used to being called an ex-death eater. And sometimes, women even find it attractive." Draco grinned to himself but his self amusement did not amuse them.

"Look, we know you have a thing for our aunt. And it works out perfectly since you two are going to the banquet together and all! You have to do this for us, Professor. You're good with women! You say it all the time! Win her heart and we'll all be happy. We'll help you!" Gaby exclaimed, landing back onto the fourth floor corridor of Hogwarts.

"Stop rambling, calm down a bit, and go to bed, you two. Your aunt is with an honorable man who anyone would die to be with. And worry about your own dates for the banquet. It's coming up quicker than you think, you know." Draco smiled, waved, and stalked off in the opposite direction, trying to avoid as much talk of Ginny Weasley as possible.

"Oh… right… the banquet…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sort of an abrupt end to the chapter there, but what else can they say?

Anyways, I'm really really sorry for the long wait. I know you guys were dying for it and begging to update ASAP but I never got around to it and I keep making empty promises. Well, it's summer vacation now so hopefully I'll have more time with this story and Scotland vs. Ireland which (if you happen to read that too because that's my other story in my other pen name) I have almost practically abandoned it but not really! Anyways.

Next chapter or maybe next next chapter? Will be the banquet. I know it's such an unoriginal storyline and stuff but don't worry, I won't make it like the center of the overall plot.

And I've decided on how to handle the whole handful of mini-stories in this story. I guess I'll have a thing on the Mike-Gaby story, and then a thing on the Spencer-Ophelia story, and then it'll end with the main Draco-Ginny story. This chapter had a lot of the twins in it but that was because I was introducing a lot of the characters. Once the banquets start and Draco turns on his charms (XD), you'll be seeing a lot more DG because that's what you all read this for in the first place :D So yes. Don't be horrified if you think this will turn into a Spencer-Ophelia and Mike-Gaby story because although their little romances will be written and all, there will be plenty of gooooood DG looovin. HOPEFULLY. PUAHAHAH I'M SO EVIL. Anyways.

Is it just me or DO YOU GUYS HATE JAKE TOO! I CAN'T BELIEVE I MADE SUCH A CHARACTER. HM!

ANYWAYS, REVIEW TONS, GUYS! THAT'LL ALWAYS TURN MY MISERABLE SUMMER AT LEAST A BIT BETTER! HEHE

-love always,

YOUR FAVORITE YOUNGWRITER

_Gaia Organic blend_

_In Gaia Organic Blend, we have created a coffee amenable equally to palate and planet. This blend follows the cycle of the seasons, incorporating exceptional crops of certified organic coffee as they are harvested throughout the year. These changes are subtle, but a Gaia aficionado might note in the new year the sweetening influence of a new crop from Colombia, followed in the spring by a lively infusion from Costa Rica… _


	6. Major Dickason's

WHEEEEW!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

And as predicted, the banquet bore down on the students suddenly like a lightening bolt, shocking them through the nerves merely 10 days beforehand, reaching their minds that the banquet really was going to happen and it was going to happen very soon. The atmosphere in Hogwarts changed overnight as the ten day mark before the banquet was set and the frenzy of so and so asking so and so and the gorgeous dress robe featured in Witch Weekly's settled in among the students, reigning like a totalitarian ruler, coming to power instantly with no progression. (a/n: that was a looong sentence.)

A plethora of chocolate boxes and wilted flowers became a daily ritual as boys found unoriginal ways to find their date, their trophy of excellence. The music of girly giggles tickled Draco's ears, making him shiver and shudder, old nightmares haunting him once more.

Just outside his classroom, as Draco was setting off for some peace, a shaking Billy Joe was asking a blushing Sally Anne to the banquet, his feet never shuffling and his eyes never meeting hers. They were third years, Hufflepuffs in Draco's Wednesday classes, which was the minimum set for the banquet because first and second years would merely run around chasing each other and creating a havoc of immature catastrophe.

"Well, Sally Anne… I was just… well…" Shuffle shuffle. "You've been really nice to me and all in Charms this year and well…" Billy Joe stopped, blushing ever so furiously.

"Oh go on, Billy Joe, you were just getting to the good part!" Draco exclaimed excited with a broad smile, ear to ear.

Both of them turned, eyes wide, mouths open to see Draco leaning over, listening into Billy Joe's proposal.

They were officially scarred for life and it was very unlikely that Billy Joe would ever ask another girl to any banquet in his life again.

And so the beautiful blissful days continued, the students more high strung and the professors tired of the constant, feverish whispering behind books.

Yet there remained a group of students who had no mind about the banquet gossips. The ones planning and coordinating it and the ones who truly did not give a shit. This group was derived of the heads and prefects, and Gaby Weasley, who had been invigorated by the mantra of Oliver Wood on steroids for the upcoming game which happened to fall the day before the banquet. And being the ruthless captain, her team was not let off as well. When they were not in class, they were in the Quidditch fields practicing, and when they were not practicing, they were stuffing their faces with as many Calories as possible, and when they were not stuffing their faces, they were passed out in deep sleep that would last at the most six hours before Gaby came slapping them awake with even more strategies and plays to learn.

"What I just don't get is how they just don't appreciate what I do. They just sit there with blank looks in their eyes whining and complaining. I mean, don't they play Quidditch to win?" Gaby ranted at her normal Friday tutoring session that had been substituted with scrubbing the Great Hall for detention that Professor Malfoy had thrown at them for waking him up.

Mike chuckled. "Sure, they want to win, but I think they'd rather want to live a little. Maybe you're being a little too harsh."

"I'm not being harsh! That's what I keep hearing. Gaby Weasley, the anal Oliver Woods replica times 5000 and half the size. I am not Oliver Woods! He's _notorious_ and I know I can't be as bad as him." Gaby furiously scrubbed harder at a sticky spot in the corner that would not come off for some reason.

"Or so you might think. Really, Gaby, you know you have a flawless record. Ever since you even joined the team, Gryffindor hasn't lost a single game, even if every other player plays like Filch. You don't have to work your team the moment they step out of a classroom until curfew."

"Yeah, but here's the main difference, our seeker SUCKS this year!"

"Then why don't you play seeker? It's the most important player isn't it?"

"The most important but not the most necessary! You can have a world-class seeker but still lose the game if your chasers are top-notch. I mean, look at the Bulgaria versus Ireland game like a dozen years back. Viktor Krum is hands down the world's greatest seeker and still Bulgaria lost because Ireland chasers are unbeatable. That and the fact that Bulgaria has THE weakest defense _ever_, but still…"

Mike sighed. "If I gave you a year, you can list me the two teams for the Quidditch World Cup that played, the score, every single player and position, and an exact play by play of the match. If I asked you to name me three characteristics of a werewolf, you'd tell me that they howl at the night of a full moon."

Gaby blinked blankly a few times. "Well, they do, don't they?"

"Yes, but that is not the only thing that you should know about werewolves. Don't you see? You put so much time and thought into Quidditch and you have never sat down for over an hour and actually read a book."

Gaby rolled her eyes. "I'm not at detention to hear you lecture me about my studies again, Mike. Give it a rest. You're a good tutor and all, how you're always on my back about doing my homework or something but you've got to just accept that I really don't care about werewolves or such. So if you want to get academic on someone and try to make smart conversations and everything, go to your genius Head Girl, who, I have to say, is totally into you."

At this Mike laughed. "You mean Anna?"

"Yes, yes, your precious Anna who you never stop talking about. I swear you two are going to have babies and their first words would be the procedure to brewing a perfect Polyjuice potion." Sighing, Gaby turned from the sticky spot, giving up and turned around to face where Mike was scrubbing.

"I 'never stop talking' about her because you should really follow her example. She's someone that even I admire."

"And _loooooove_."

"Gabrielle Weasley, I'm warning you, get off that subject."

"So, so, you're asking her to the banquet?" Gaby asked, with a suspicious glint in her eye.

"Well, I'm not asking, but it's sort of a given we're going together. I mean, we're the heads and all and Hogwarts tradition is that the heads start off any kind of ball or banquet with an exception of the Yule Ball."

"Excuses! You really like her!" Gaby whispered loudly, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"Gaby! Really! Stop nosing into my business and worry about your own date. Are you even going?"

"Well of course I'm going!"

"How do you know if you haven't been asked yet?"

"They'll come around. Trust me." Gaby grinned broadly.

"Who's 'they?'"

"My fan club."

Mike dropped his washcloth. "You have a fan club?"

"Of course I have a fan club!"

Mike fell down into fits of laughter. "You have a fan club!"

"Well, it's not like you don't either."

Immediately, Mike shut up and went back to scrubbing. "That's different."

Gaby smirked and stretched. "But I won't stoop down low enough to go to the banquet with a fanboy. I've got my eyes set on Caleb Libby." (a/n: I just love all these last names. XD)

Mike stared blankly back at her. "The sixth year Hufflepuff prefect?"

"That's the one."

"Why him?"

"He's the most wanted sixth year in this school, Mike, and I like a little challenge."

"Then why not go for the most wanted fifth year in the school?"

"Because that would be my brother and that would be incest."

"Ah."

"So you see, Mikey, I _always _get what I want."

"Quite ambitious, aren't you? Why don't you try putting some of that…"

"Into my studies. Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking." Gaby rolled her eyes. "We'll never get done with cleaning the Great Hall… seriously, don't people know anything called table etiquette?"

Mike dropped his sponge and stretched out his shoulders, scanning the room. On the other side of the Great Hall, Spencer worked diligently, being the clean freak and perfectionist he was, while Ophelia pranced about him with a duster, not really dusting anything at all (nor was there anything to dust in the first place.) Mike chuckled. "You brother seems to get along very well with Ophelia."

Gaby looked over at the two of them too and laughed. "He's blowing the hair out of his face. That means he's getting agitated. But in my opinion, I'd say Spence needs an Ophelia kind of figure around him. To loosen up, you know? He practically hates all people of the opposite sex other than my aunt and me. Even though all of said female gender in our grade is in love with him."

"Seems like you Weasley twins have quite a bit of a fan club."

"Well of course! We're one eighth veela and my father's Bill Weasley. What more is there that this school can't handle?"

"Me?"

Gaby snorted. "Oh, you flatter yourself so."

"Hey, it's only the truth."

"Well if it interests you, might I add that the other day, I was almost murdered by these two girls in the bathroom for stealing you away from them?"

Mike turned to face her with a look of slight curiosity. "No, really?"

"Uh huh. Accused me of failing class purposely so I can get tutored by their precious Mikey. Hey, is it true your real name isn't Mike?"

Suddenly, Mike flushed a brilliant shade of red. "Where'd you hear that?"

"The girls! They were like, 'You don't know anything about Mikey! You don't even know his real name! Blah, blah, blah.' Made me very curious for a while."

"Ah, well, you know, Mike is a nickname of course."

"But your name's not even Michael!"

"There are other ways to derive the nickname 'Mike.'"

"Well, I'm going to find out somehow."

"No you won't. Nobody but McGonagall knows my real name." Mike said, as if it solved the problem.

"Oh, no, no, I'll find out."

"Okay, let's strike a deal. The day you come back with a perfect test score, I'll tell you my real name."

"UN-FAIR!"

"Quite fair! Do you want to know my name or not?"

"Oh, head boy, you're going to regret you ever made this deal. Shake on it?"

Mike stretched out his hand. "I'm an honest man, Gaby. I would never go back on my words."

Gaby took it, shook, and sighed. "Oh, you just wait. After the game, you have no idea…" She leaned her head back and cackled. "Watch out, _Mikey!"_

"Yes, now, enough chit chat; get to work." Mike said, handing her the mop.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

That Hogsmeade weekend, with content pockets jingling of money, the procrastinators (everyone) set off hurriedly to the nearest robe shops to purchase their dress robes and chocolates. The following week was the banquet and the hype of the party grew and flourished

"Spencer Weasley!"

Spencer turned around, but too late, as he toppled to the ground by the force of the zooming figure that ran into him.

"Wha-"

"I have just realized that the banquet is next week. And I am in desperate need of dress robes."

"Ophelia! What the hell, you nearly killed me!"

"Anyways, since you're the only person I know who'd give me an honest opinion, I need you to go dress robe shopping with me." Ophelia said, with an evil glint in her eye, ready to shoot down any protests he had.

Spencer looked at her incredulously but surprisingly shrugged. "Works for me. I need dress robes too."

"Really?! You'd go with me?"

"Well if I said no, would you have let me go?"

"Of course not!"

"Well then, there we go. I was supposed to go with Gaby but she's ditching Hogsmeade for Quidditch practice. I really pity her team."

"Quidditch? She's playing Quidditch in the most important weekend of the year? Ludicrous!"

"I know, and I'm supposed to be related to her. If I could I would have stayed and gotten ahead with the grand staircase decorations because we're so far behind and the Hufflepuff prefects aren't doing any of their duties but _no, _I _have _to go dress robe shopping because it's just _so _mandatory that the prefects waste their time there when we've been living around the Great Hall for the past days."

"Yes well, trust me, I'll make this shopping experience quick and easy for you. You have a date yet? Do you know what she's wearing?"

A few eavesdropping fifth years coughed rather loudly from behind them.

Ignoring the group of girls, Spencer shook his head. "Are you kidding me? Do you think I'll waste my time going out and intricating myself in a tangle of this superficially ridiculously absurd carnival of meaningless roses and dates? No, not I."

The girls, immensely dejected, burst out into sobs and ran into the nearest shop.

Ophelia glanced at the retreating girls and smirked. "Too cool for the flow, eh?"

"No, too… preoccupied for the flow. You know what I could get done in the time it takes for a guy to try to find a date?

"Oh, I don't know, maybe next week's Potions homework?"

"Not only that, but probably a month's worth of Potions homework! And in this grand establishment of education, the kids just sit there and moan about their cruel teachers who give them scrolls to write and pages to read, when if they didn't inundate their brains with mindless thoughts of this preposterous dance, they'd see that the professors have actually been giving out less and less these past several days. Did you not realize it too?"

"Oh, Weasley, you need a life."

"Seriously, we're here to _learn_, not frolic around in little dresses and ties. I just don't understand Professor Malfoy's philosophy. He's the one who forces this idea to take place, then shuts his door and bitterly spits at the sight of the pre-dance mayhem."

"In here, Weasley." Ophelia said with amusement as she pushed him through the door of a sketchy looking robe shop. While every other robe shop in Hogsmead was bustling with hordes of students, somehow, this dusty, mangy, rusted shop, isolated from the main of the town was completely empty.

"Mr. Greenspan? Are you in?" Ophelia called. After a moment of hesitation, the ratty curtain was cast aside and a very stout man in a tailored suit and greasy mustache came out.

"Oh, yes, Ophelia, it's been a while. How are you?"

"I'm very well. We are looking for dress robes."

"Dress robes, eh? Well you sure do know where to come. Come on in."

The man hustled them in behind the curtain. Spencer stepped over hesitantly.

"Look around if you must."

Spencer trudged along behind Ophelia as she shuffled through the abundant racks of cloth. He thoughtlessly flipped a tag, and then squinted to look at the price better.

"500 GALLEONS?!"

"Is there a problem?"

"500 Galleons! Do you really think I have this much money?"

"Keeps the commoners away. If you must, you can look through the clearance pile over there." Mr. Greenspan said coldly, pointing at the pile of robes at a corner table.

Spencer glared at Ophelia. "Oh, you rich aristocrat."

"I'm a Slytherin. What'd you expect?"

Spencer sighed and lazily shifted through the robes.

"Look if you want, I can buy one for you." Ophelia muttered, examining each robe carefully

"Oh, no thanks. I can't give you another reason to pester me about something else for ages."

"No really. I come from a house made of gold. Our family have gold coming out of our ass as shit. Just find whatever suits you best and pay as much as you can and I'll cover for you. 500 Galleons is like a weekly allowance for me."

"Oh yes, Phelia, just rub it in."

She shrugged. "Or not… I just don't want you to be wasting your time, scavenging around for the cheapest ones."

"Then, whatever, why don't you pick one out for me? I'll just sit in the corner here and wallow in my destitute sorrow."

Ophelia laughed and threw him a vividly charcoal cloak. "Matches your heart."

"Very funny." Spencer took off his coat and asked the shopkeeper, "Where do I change?"

"Does it look like I have a changing room in here? Who cares? Has your girlfriend never seen your bare chest before? Merlins, Ophelia, you never told me you're dating a prude."

Ophelia snorted. "No, no, he's not my boyfriend. But Mr. Greenspan has a point, you know, Weasley. It's not like I've never seen a man's skin before." Spencer flashed her a fierce look. "But if it troubles you so… I can turn around. I'm sure there's not much to see anyways." Giggling, she turned back to the rack.

Spencer gave them both a cold look before turning around and slipping on the ebony cloak. He stepped in front of the full view mirror and took in what he saw. The cloak and suit set under it were made of fine silk, casting a dramatic shadow. For the price, he had to agree that it was quite worth it. However, the entirely black attire slightly depressed him as he looked as though he was attending a funeral… a very expensive funeral.

"Don't you think that this is a bit too dra- oh for merlins sake, Ophelia, warn me beforehand if you're going to change!" Spencer exclaimed, as he met the sight of Ophelia zipping up a pale yellow dress on the other side of the room.

"Didn't think you were interested enough to turn around. Oh God, you look miserable. What do you think of this one?" Ophelia hopped a bit, making a little spin. The satin material flowed down completely naturally from chest down. As she twirled, the bottom swirled gracefully on the ground.

"It looks… nice… but it's a bit too much yellow to handle at once."

"That's true. Yellow might be a little too bright."

Ophelia threw Spencer a vibrant red robe as she turned around and began unzipping.

"I would never wear this."

"We'll see. Try it on, try it on. The sooner you do, the sooner we can go back to the castle and the sooner you can hit your beloved books."

Sighing, Spencer slipped off his robe and forced his way into the stiff red dress robe. His inner suit was completely black with a red bow tie that matched his blood red cloak with an intricate pattern of flowery imprints.

"Are you done?" He asked, looking up at the ceiling.

"Yes, yes, turn around. Let me see."

When she saw the fit, she nodded a little, inspecting him carefully. "It looks very nice. Very sexy."

"I can't breathe. This thing is made of cardboard."

"Mm, and I can tell. What do you think of this? I thought it'd match yours."

Ophelia smiled innocently as she turned around in a circle in her skimpy scarlet dress. Unlike the yellow dress, it stuck closely to her body, like a second skin, and rose scandalously up her thighs.

"I'm sorry, Ophelia. You look very 'hot' and everything but you will kind of pass off as a slut if you wear that."

"Ah, well, the school won't be disappointed."

"Well, I will be. We both know that you're better than that. Find something… appropriate for this occasion."

Ophelia gave him a small smile and passed over a white suit.

Tugging the red dress robes off, Spencer sluggishly buttoned up the achromatic robe. The suit under the robe was a plain, comfortable black with an ivory tie and matching snowy white robe. Snug, rich and pleasant, Spencer smiled contently for the first time that day.

"Turn around." Ophelia said from behind him. He obeyed, turning to face her. Simultaneously, they beamed.

Ophelia had picked out a violently blue dress, an ambiguity of cobalt, sapphire, and royal blue, both dazzling and simple. It was a very clean cut design, not overdone like the red or too bright like the yellow. Her navy blue eyes never seemed bluer and her raven black hair teased the stooping backline.

"I think we have ourselves a winner." She muttered, checking the price tag. Remembering the budget he was on, Spencer checked his and was only moderately depressed, it being 300 galleons.

"If you both buy, I can give you a discount. It'll be a special favor for your father from me." The tailor said, coming back in to observe their dress robes.

"Thanks. I'll cover for whatever Spence can't pay."

"Well, that's fine. The total will come around to be 600."

"I've got a hundred fifty." Spence said, pulling out his pouch of gold.

Ophelia handed the man a banknote, took the robes, and they both exited into the heavy sun.

"Ophelia, I swear I'll pay you back within next month once I get my money from my aunt." Spencer mumbled, figuring the paycheck for the years of work he did for her shop in his head.

"Weasley. I know this hurts your ego and everything but don't stress it. You can pay me back any time in the next ten years."

"You don't get it, Phelia, I can't take this kind of charity from you."

Ophelia frowned. "Why?"

"I'm just… not very good with it."

"Because you're borrowing money from someone like me?"

"No… where'd you get that idea? No, it's just… I don't know if I can thank you enough."

"It's _nothing_. You helped me pick out my dress. That's good enough for me. Just pay me back by the time we're 25 or I _will _track you down."

Spencer chuckled. "Well then… thanks."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A week in school had never been longer as seconds inched by until finally, after what felt like eons, it was Friday, the day before the banquet. Classes had just ended and the students filed out, sighing. The only thing left for them to do now, was look forward and on to the banquet.

But not for Gabrielle Weasley.

As soon as the last class of the day was dismissed, and rather abruptly by an impatient Professor Malfoy, she took off to the Quidditch field to warm up for the game that was to take place in two hours.

Already her adrenaline was pumping and her mind was racing. With an exciting, stress free weekend to look forward to, the rest of the student body already began to file into the field as the seven Gryffindors and the seven Slytherins looked onto the green grass and majestic hoops for the toughest, rowdiest, and dirtiest opening game of the year.

Draco looked down from his seat in the faculty box and shuddered at the memories, mostly bad, he had from the same stadium. When he was young and still a death eater, his father had bribed Draco's way onto the team but had been analed pretty badly by Potter. And for his utter years of failure as a Quidditch player, he hoped his house's team would be able to make up for Slytherin's loss of face in Quidditch, even though he knew they had no chance against the little Weasley.

"Nostalgic, eh?"

Draco turned around at the all too familiar voice. "Weasley! What are you doing here?"

Ginny smiled from behind him, and then plopped down in the seat next to him. "Gaby owled me last night and told me that she needed a dress robe desperately. She's always so last minute, but she had stuffed every free time she had into this game. So I came to bring it for her and ran into McGonagall who ushered me here. Never saw the field from up here before, though. Brings back so many memories… good ones for me, at least."

"Gaby is quite talented. I really wondered where she could have possibly inherited her flying abilities."

"Oh, you shut up. You know I was a far better seeker or chaser than you'd ever be." Ginny snorted.

"Hey, that's not fair to compare with me. You barely even seeked!"

"Which is just far more humiliating for you, isn't it? The Gryffindor _chaser _winning her team the cup for two years in a row."

Draco frowned. "You didn't come here to taunt me, did you?"

"Ay, I would never dream of that. I'm here to see the game. To see what all this 'Gaby Weasley' craze is about."

"You never saw your own niece play? She's amazing! Her broom is almost like an extra limb to her."

"Mm, and I taught all of that to her."

"Don't flatter yourself."

Ginny chuckled, hugging the bag with Gaby's dress robes closer to her. "Are you ready for the banquet tomorrow?"

"Me? No. I've been so busy preparing for it and all that I didn't get a chance to."

"Do you have dress robes?"

"I dear God hope so."

"Didn't you buy them?"

"I stayed back Hogsmeade weekend because the damn Hufflepuff prefects didn't do any of the grand staircase decorations… but… you… have… yours… right?" He asked awkwardly, remembering how he and the twins left rather suddenly without a definite confirmation of Ginny's invitation.

She beamed. "Of course. And I'm really sorry about Jake being an ass and all. It's that 'minister's son' thing in him and all."

"Ah, well, I've caused him quite some distress back in those years… I really can't argue with him. So… shall I… pick you up tomorrow or something?" Draco asked, scuffing the bench with the sole of his shoe, looking down.

"I could make it to Hogwarts just fine…"

"Oh… right… okay…" Draco looked away, feeling the eyes of McGonagall behind him.

"But… if you want, I wouldn't mind being escorted." Ginny replied, trying to ease the extreme discomfort between their twisted conversation.

"OH! Oh, oh, yes, okay. I shall come by around seven, then. Is that all right?"

"That's lovely. Thank you!"

"And… uh… Jake doesn't mind this… right?"

"Oh… Jake… well he doesn't really know about this banquet but… I'm sure he won't mind. I mean, it's been so long since I last got to wear my dress robes. I got new ones too when my brothers made it big with their joke shop and bought Zonkos."

"Ah… okay, then…"

And they were saved at the height of their awkwardness by a blaring sound of a horn and roaring of the school as the game began.

"Welcome everyone to the opening game of the season! Today we have last year's first and second place teams, Gryffindor versus Slytherins! To prevent any commentary bias, Professor McGonagall has assigned a prefect from each house so that the Gryffindors won't feel ashamed when I say… GO SLYTHERINS! I'm your host, Ophelia and my broody mate here will be the Gryffindor team captain's twin brother… everyone boo with me here… SPENCER WEASLEY!"

The crowd, especially in the Slytherin's side boo-ed with fervent tremor running across the crowd. Draco, his Slytherin pride catching up with him let out a small 'boo' before Ginny stomped on his foot harshly.

"Now, let the teams come out and let the game begin. Come on Spence, say something!"

At the very bottom of the faculty box, Draco could see Ophelia push Spencer awake as he put down his book, glared and reached for his mike.

"Everyone, remember school rules still apply in the games. That is, no negative enthusiasms or obscene comments are allowed. And… go… Gryffindors…"

Madame Hooch came onto the field with the case. "Captains, shake hands!"

Gaby stretched out her hand, which looked miniscule as the six foot five caveman of the captain that the Slytherins bred grabbed it and shook firmly. Gaby looked up almost a foot and a half at the man-beast, not quivering at his size.

"Ready… BEGIN!" The crowd went wild and all 14 members shot up in the sky, a tiny fireball of red attaching herself to the quaffle almost at the millisecond of its release.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco had slept through the day, ignoring the cries, banging and pleas of students in desperate need of help on their homework. Blast the kids! They could ask a friend if they wanted!

Finally, his alarm blared at six o'clock and Draco groggily slapped it off. Still lying inertly and sluggishly on the bed, Draco blasted open his closet door with his wand. Two winter cloaks, half a dozen of his normal cloak, a night cloak, and his invisibility cloak hung neatly in a color and size coordinated manner. Draco sat up. His dress robe was the only piece of clothing that he had failed to pack. Draco banged his head on his pillow. The banquet was in one hour and yet, the man who had proposed the idea in the first place was probably the only one who was not prepared.

Draco jumped out of bed, rummaging his closet once more to make sure he did not happen to miss it. He then ran to Professor Snape ("Did you THINK that I would have dress robes?"), Professor Flitwick ("I don't know if it'll fit you very well…"), Professor Binns ("Oh, yes, but they're from about 500 years ago… is that okay with you?"), and desperately, Professor McGonagall. ("It is not my responsibility to provide dress robes to a _professor, _Mr. Malfoy.") It was now half an hour before the banquet and Draco gravely regretted having started his "who needs stuffy collars" streak that year. All his cloaks were either fur or Egyptian cotton, barely suitable for a dance, and when he was about to give up and go in his cleanest cloak, he remembered one robe he always kept buried in his suitcase, as he swore to himself never to touch it again.

Draco lugged out his trunk and opened it, a cloud of dust filling the air. There were clutters of trash and papers inside but after fishing through, he found his item of desire rolled up in a ball in the deepest corner of the trunk. He took it out, slapped it so the dust would fly and unrolled it.

It was a deep black robe, made of the finest, lightest, and strongest silk in the world. There were no creases where it had been rolled, nor was it too small for him to fit even if it was almost a decade since he last wore it. It flowed so smoothly, so solidly that it never seemed to end. Slipping it on, he shivered, as his painful past pierced into his brain. The robe would seem no different from a top notch, high quality dress robe and only a trained, veteran professional would be able to tell what it really was: his death eater uniform.

Sighing, smoothing out his clean white collar and black tie, Draco fled to the passageway to Diagon alley. He ran down the cobbled streets until he screeched to a halt at Serendipity.

"You're right on the dot, Mr. Malfoy." Ginny said, smiling broadly as she came out from behind the curtain at hearing the poor wooden doors burst open.

"You have no idea what I've been through this past hour." Draco said, panting. He paused to take in the sight before him. Her dress was sleek and black, simple yet elegant in every way and every curve it made down her body. Her dainty fingers were gracefully covered by long, black, silk gloves that reached past her elbow. Her hair too had not been an object of troublesome hours and was just pinned with a black jeweled pin in a half up-do that looked effortless and chic.

"You look… nice." Draco choked out.

"Well, you don't look half bad yourself, Mr. Malfoy." Ginny said, beaming.

"Shall we go, then?"

"Do you want a drink? Perhaps an ice coffee? You're sweating like a madman."

"Oh, please, you're my date for this evening, not my barista. So put a little dignity in your smile, not customer service." Draco said, holding out his arm.

Ginny blinked, then flashed a brilliant, genuine smile, and placed her hand over his outstretched forearm. He led her to the door, and the walked down the bustling street of Diagon Alley, looking, and feeling like royalty in the clouds of bliss that they walked on. Strangers stopped conversations to admire the two of them walk with such sophistication, and little children tugged the skirts of their mothers.

Draco opened the door the passageway to the school. "Ladies first."

Ginny lifted her foot up, crouching to fit in someone grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back out roughly. Surprised, both of them looked to their right, and saw Jake, his eyes bloodshot and his hand still on Ginny's shoulder.

"Ow- Jake, let go! What the hell is your problem?" Ginny whispered fiercely, shaking her arm away.

"Where the hell are you going?" Jake asked in a tantalizing murmur.

"I'm sorry but there's a banquet at school and I had nobody to take and Weasley said she wouldn't mind…"

"I didn't ask you, Malfoy. Ginny. Do you not see that you're going to a school dance with a death eater?"

"He's not a death eater anymore, Jake. You know that. The war is over… it was over years and years ago."

"Yeah? Did you not realize that he's even wearing his ol' death eater robe, then? Well of course, you don't know, only the top ministry aurors can tell the difference between normal silk and death eater silk. Who knows what he'll do to you, Gin? Come on. Let's go." Jake took Ginny's hand and began pulling her away.

Ginny stopped, looked Draco up and down and snapped her hand back away from Jake's grip. "So what if he's wearing death eater robes? What is so significant about that? Do these robes give you dark powers? Do these robes make you evil? What is your problem? Mr. Malfoy is a respected professor at Hogwarts and is recognized nobly at the ministry. He's not a death eater! Relax, Jake. Merlins…"

"Death eaters never stop being death eaters, Ginny! Malfoy only got out because of Snape but you can never trust anyone so easily. What if he does something to you?"

"Nothing is going to happen to me, Jake! I can take care of myself! Maybe if you actually stopped trying to hide me and took me to one of your million ministry events once in a while, I wouldn't be so desperate to get out of this street for once!"

"How could you say that? You know I'm only protecting you!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'll just say that if I'm going to attack anyone, I wouldn't do it in front of the entire school with the entire faculty watching. And I realized earlier this afternoon that I didn't have dress robes so this was my last resort." Draco said smoothly, not wanting to get in middle of something.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP, MALFOY! You've already ruined me in everyway possible and taken everyone you could have possibly taken from me! I'm not going to let you take Ginny too!"

"Jake! Calm down!"

"HE KILLED MY MOTHER, GINNY. HE AND HIS BLOODY FATHER KILLED MUM. AND I REFUSE TO LET YOU GO TO SOME DANCE WITH MY MOTHER'S MURDERER." Jake exclaimed, his face turning to a violent shade of red.

Ginny gaped at Jake, then turned to Draco for some explanation.

"Draco…?" She whispered, softly.

Draco inhaled deeply, turned to Ginny and grinned apologetically. "I'm sorry, Weasley, but…"

Draco put his hand on her arm, then quickly and swiftly pushed her through the passageway, her figure disappearing completely. He then closed the entrance, and turned back to face Jake.

Alone.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH

THERE GOES EVERYTHING!!!!

THIS WAS SURPRISINGLY A FASTER UPDATE IN MY OPINION COMPARED TO THE OTHER CHAPTERS. BUT IT'S BECAUSE YOU ALL WERE SUCH ENTHUSIASTIC, INSPIRING REVIEWERS SO I STARTED EARLIER. HEHEHEHEHE.

BUT I DIDN'T EVEN SEE THE END OF THIS CHAPTER COMING. IT JUST… CAME OUT. AND I WROTE IT AND I THOUGHT… HUH… NOT A BAD IDEA. SO WE'LL BOTH HAVE TO SEE HOW THINGS FIGURE, EH?

_WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH DRACO AND JAKE?_

_WHAT WILL GINNY SAY?_

_WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE BALL?_

Let me tell you guys that so far, what I have imagined in my head, if it actually carries out… A LOT OF SHIIIIITE HAPPEN AT THE BALL. LOTS OF DRAMA, JUST THE WAY I LIKE IT. TEARS, BLOOD, SWEAT, ALL THAT JAZZ.

HAHA, ACTUALLY I'M JUST EXAGGERATING. IT ACTUALLY WON'T BE THAAAT EXCITING, BUT THEN AGAIN, I'LL LET YOU GUYS BE THE JUDGE OF THAT.

**EXCITING EXCITING! REVIEW REVIEW!** HOPE YOU LIKED THE CHAPTER! IF YOU READ VERY CAREFULLY EVERY WORD, BETWEEN THE LINES, YOU WILL FIND A BIT OF ROMANCE BEGINNING TO BLOOM, ESPECIALLY WITH OPHEEEEELIA. MHM. MHM. MHM. HAVE FUN WITH THAT.

AND THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU. GOOD BYE!

_Major Dickason's Blend_** ®**

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	7. Jade Mist

RIP- Raiper, Severus Snape, Moony, Tonks, Hedwig, Dobby, Mad-eye, Colin Creevy and everyone else who met their untimely and TOTALLY UNNECESSARY DEATHS in Deathly Hallows.

This massive 32 page chapter is dedicated to Neville Longbottom, who I believe is the true hero of the seventh book; Hermione Granger, who saved Harry and Ron at least a few hundred times; Mrs. Weasley, for my favorite scene in the entire book and the only page that brought tears to my eyes (NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH); Harry and Ron, for… being cool; and lastly to JK Rowling who is really the 21st century's genius and never failed to amuse me with her incessant use of colons in the seventh book.

Anyways, this chapter is incredibly long so read on your own accord and take short breaks and MAKE SURE TO REVIEW in the end even if you can't finish the chapter.

Good luck.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Okay, Malfoy, you've had your fun. You bring her back right now and make sure you never set foot around her ever again."

"Now, now, Diggory. Let's calm down for a moment and rethink this. If I bring Weasley back from the banquet after she spent a week giddy and ironing her dress robes, who would that benefit, really?"

"It's for her safety! I'm sure she'd rather be alive, safe and sound instead of wasting her time at some absurd kind of frivolity next to a death eater."

"Look the past is the past. That was war. This is now. I've been freed of countless charges already and it's been… YEARS. Whatever happened then, I truly, deeply apologize and off my condolences but it's time to move on. I know you have probably sworn yourself to abhor the Malfoy's for life. But this is no longer for me but for Ginny Weasley. She's been waiting too much for this."

"Waiting to go to some ball? When she knows that I get invited to one every week but turn down a majority of them for her? Tell me, why would she want to go to a school's dance with _you _but not a formal Ministry event with me?"

"Maybe if you actually decided to stop your pathetic cowardly acts and be proud to show off a woman like Ginevra Weasley to public, she would. Turn down invitations for her? No. It's for YOU. Your class and reputation. I'm sorry, but you really have no authority whatsoever to say idiotic nonsense like that. If Ginny Weasley walks out of this passageway right now and demands that she goes back to her shop, then I will surrender her, apologize and avoid all accounts of possibly ever encountering her again. But you know as well as I do that it was her own will that brought her out here. Stop shielding her like a bloody dog or something! You're the minister's son so you were always free to roam around, heads bowing the moment you enter but you have no idea what it's like to be locked up, unnoticed, never free, never human. Give her a life if you care about her so much, won't you?"

Draco glared at him with finality, leaving a sputtering man behind as he clambered into the passageway. Jake made a movement as if he wanted to stop him further but Draco stopped him with his cold eyes that seemed so natural under his Death Eater cloak.

"Don't you dare follow me. This banquet is a private party, invitation only affair. If you step one foot into this passage, I will have no choice but to stop you physically, and we both know what I'm capable of, right?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Mrs. Amoretti, even being well over her 40's, was referred to as the fiery vixen. She made her presence known wherever she roamed and made sure her presence lingered until she left. She stood on tip toes at 5 foot 1, and yet her voice carried her all the way to the other side of Europe. She knew every face and name in Hogwarts even though her home was in Italy. She was a woman of no shame yet showed unsurpassed dignity and esteem.

A naturally born party animal and guru, Mrs. Amoretti stepped into the stone cold steps of Hogwarts in an elegant dress robe and got ready for work. Her arm was draped around a man two heads taller and about 20 years younger. His husky presence triggered a spark of fervent whispers, yet he gazed admiringly only at Mrs. Amoretti. Still, nothing seemed to amuse her more than the scene that unfolded in front of her.

"There is only one hour before the banquet starts, Spence! Just give up on the original design! There's no way the staircase can be finished if you go along with it!"

"Well, what else do you have in mind, then? Leave the staircase as is? All this glitter and props we made for this go to waste?"

Ophelia groaned. "For goodness sakes, I should be back in my room getting ready and we're still here getting nothing done with the staircase!"

"I never asked you to help me! I can do this on my own if you're so busy."

"You're a talented kid, Spence, but you've got no such talent with decorations. I've grown up with parties. Just…" Ophelia put down her wand and sighed. "Come on, leave that there, just get the lights from McGonagall's office."

"_Brillucia oropel_"

The mess of glitter that lay abandoned all over the steps immediately rose into the air, above the staircase like stars and shone a sparkling gold. The two quarreling prefects turned around to the bottom of the staircase to see Mrs. Amoretti with her wand out, smiling broadly. Ophelia gasped.

"Mom! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Your Professor called and told me that you all needed help with the set up. Really, now, there's one hour left and even the staircase isn't done?"

"Caleb was supposed to do it but he didn't show and it wasn't until Spence came out to make a trip to the kitchens that we found out it wasn't done."

"Well, I'm here now so you two stop bickering and get dressed! My goodness, how did I raise you? You must be Spencer Weasley! My, this school is just bustling with good looking flesh. Why don't you ever bring one home, Ophelia?"

Ophelia scoffed and stomped off to her dorm as Spencer thanked her bashfully. "I could stay back and help a bit more if you need, Mrs. Amoretti."

"That will be unncecessary. Go and get ready. Save a dance for this old woman, won't you?"

"Why… well, of course… yes…"

OO

THE BANQUET BEGINS.

"Weasley! Weasley! Slow… Slow _down!_"

"You just pushed me in here without my permission and you, what… _killed _his mother? And I've been defending you all along, wondering why he was such a bastard to you and oh, look, turns out he has a great reason."

"Weasley, bloody merlins, woman, calm the hell down!"

"If I were Jake, man, the things I would have done to you. You're lucky he's got impulses as fast as a snail. Gawd, these heels are out to fucking _kill _me."

"You don't know anything! You have no right to say that!"

"Who needs to know the whole story? Bottom line is, he lost his mother, the woman who raised him and fed him, in your hands and there's no way of course that he would have been so okay with having his girlfriend go to the banquet with that killer."

"You're barely like a girlfriend to him! Just look around you, Weasley. Your niece and nephew hate him so much they haven't been able to show their face in your shop again. He gets invited to a party every week from the ministry yet he turns them all down so he doesn't have to deal with _you _asking about it. I don't care how sweet or caring he pretends to be. I'm sorry to say but he's _ashamed _of you. Don't ask me why or anything but it's so clear; even your 15 year old niece with the brain capacity of a screaming banshee knows this and your nephew who knows nothing of relationships sees it."

"That's not… how _could _you?! You have no right to say that to me! Who the bloody hell do you think you are? I know you've been trying so hard to help me and all but I really feel that I won't be needing your help. You're antagonizing ME in this situation when you know I never wanted to be any part of this at all but here you come dragging me into this… MESS of things. You know who's at fault here. You know who the REAL antagonist is. So why don't you just let your pompous ass admit your wrong doings instead of pushing the subject onto me? You're such a… a… you really haven't changed, have you? I thought I could give you a chance and I even thought you were pleasant to be with but… no, I see now. I never should have trusted you. I'm going back."

"Listen to me! You're just walking yourself back to the biggest mistake you'll ever make! He doesn't deserve you. He deserves another spoiled, rich, elite ministry official's daughter with brilliant credentials and money pouring out of her mouth as she laughs."

"Auntie!"

The two of them turned around to see Gaby running toward them, her face blazing.

"You're here! You came!"

"Yes, but don't get too excited because I was just thinking of lea-"

"Well, come on then! Thanks for the dress robes by the way." Gaby said, pulling her aunt toward the banquet.

Draco lingered, rooted in his spot, and then shrugged. Better here than there.

"Professor!"

"Oh, hello, Mr. Libby."

"Have you seen Gaby Weasley? I swear I saw her just a second ago."

"Miss Weasley? Why?"

"Well, we were supposed to meet right out here but…"

"What are you talking about?"

"What?"

"Miss Weasley was your date?"

"Well, yes…"

"Well, that's suspicious. I just saw her walk in with Mike." Draco lied.

"Mike?!" Caleb rushed forward toward the door but Draco stopped him short.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I have to find her! She's supposed to be my date!"

"We need to have a talk, buddy."

"Sorry, professor, but can it wait?"

"No. You see, what is that badge you're wearing?"

"My… prefect badge?"

"And it's your second year too. I am very ashamed of you. What kind of name are you giving your house? You never show up at meetings, and when you do, you're an hour late. You were in charge of the staircase but you never even touched it once. Spencer Weasley worked on it all day today and we had to call in a professional to get it done for us. Must I strip you of your prefect badge?"

"Well, it looks great now…"

"And you had nothing to do with it. Makes you feel swell, doesn't it? I will be speaking to Professor Sprout about this and your badge may be suspended. Meanwhile, I want you to do maintenance and I will leave all of the shifts for the rounds to you. Be glad it's not detention. You may pass."

"But… professor!"

"I know you're hot and all and all the girls in this school want you. But you cannot compare with Mike Felton. So give up on Miss Weasley and show some dignity for once. Goodness sakes."

Mumbling and cursing under his breath, Caleb staggered into the great hall.

Draco stood back in his spot, smirking as the horde of students slowly made their way through. He caught a familiar face.

"Anna Jenkins?"

She was barely even recognizable without a pile of books around her and she looked graceful and ethereal in her vintage silver dress robes made of some light floaty material.

"Well, well, you look magnificent."

"Do you think so? Do you really think so? I hope so. I mean, Miike and I have to start the dance, you know? And well, I've been practicing so hard! I mean, we've been practicing because I'm actually rather clumsy on my feet and I just know I'll trip and fall and make a complete fool out of myself. Have you seen that head boy yet?"

"Oh, yes, he went in already a while ago with Gaby Weasley." Draco lied.

"Gaby Weasley… oh, that, that lascivious creature. How could you let Mike go in with her? it's like letting an innocent soul enter a brothel with the devil. You know what could happen to him? He could die! That girl is seriously trying to see the death of me!"

Anna mumbled a few more inherent words before stalking off into the hall. Draco chuckled, leaned back against the wall and waited, waited, waited for the night to be over.

OO

"Anna! Anne!"

The girl turned around as soon as she entered the door where Mike was waving and coming toward her. Her heartbeat rose tremendously, barely able to stand. He was matching her silver dress with a light velvet robe and his jet black hair hung devilishly in front of his face.

"Ready?"

"I don't really know… what if I mess up? What if everything goes blasted and the whole banquet gets ruined and I'll be the laughingstock of the school forever!"

"We only dance for the first 10 seconds and then McGonagall and Snape will come in. It'll be fine. I'll lead you. It'll be wonderful. You look so beautiful; nobody will care if you mess up or not."

She blushed profusely, and took his hand gingerly.

The hall went deathly silent as a waltz began to play from the stage and the two heads walked toward the middle of the floor. Anna really could not breathe and was barely able to move her self to the floor. Mike was practically dragging her around the steps that they practiced endlessly for. She even began to perspire at one point but a polite round of applause signaled to her that those 10 seconds of pure agony was over. Mike leaned his head forward and whispered, "Good job." With those words, Anne flew, her feet, well, literally dancing and her heart screaming of joy. She wanted to yell at the top of her lungs, "I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU" but of course, she did not.

When the first dance, the happiest moments of her life in the arms of the Love Of Her Life, ended, he nodded courteously. A mob of girls suddenly infiltrated their perfect bubble and he was whisked away from her the moment their time allotted together was over.

She could not help standing there alone, eyeing Mike Felton, the star of the show, the apple of every girl's eyes, wondering to herself how she ended up there, head over heels, smitten completely over this epitome of perfection.

OO

"Well aren't you just the party animal?"

Spencer looked up to find Ophelia sauntering in with rosy cheeks, her dress swishing behind her.

"I can't stand the noise." Spencer muttered.

"Ah, I can't stand the people. Don't you look dashing except the fact that you're half drunk? I knew those robes were made for you."

"You look nice yourself, Phelia. Clean and stuff."

"You mean I'm usually not clean?"

"Well, you are… in fact, you're quite clean. I don't remember ever being disturbed by your uncleanliness before. But you look nice."

"Why thank you. What's that you got?"

"Scotch. Don't tell, but it's my dirty little secret."

"Naughty naughty. I always had you as a goody goody."

"I'm not naughty, I'm just desperate to get all this noise out of my head."

"Mind if I join ya? Someone spiked the punch with the most repulsive rum I have ever tasted."

"You're already drunk."

"Oh, and you aren't?"

Spencer sighed reluctantly and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. "Sit."

Ophelia clambered up on the stool. "Cheers."

"Cheers."

"I wonder where the house-elves are."

"Probably partying it up in their headquarters. McGonagall dismissed them for the whole weekend."

Ophelia sighed. "Merlins, I feel like such a loser. And what is with this place? It's a bloody oven in here!"

"I quite agree."

"Good merlins, this scotch is so beautiful."

"You look really great, Ophelia. Did I ever tell you that? I think I might have when you dragged me to go shopping."

"Well a girl can never be complimented too much. I'm glad to be here. At least away from those hormonal kids who've been trying to get me out of this ruddy dress for the past hour."

"Maybe it's because you look so bloody good."

"You should really get drunk more often. You're very flattering."

"I'm always flattering."

"Yes, of course you are." Ophelia chuckled and sighed, pouring herself another glass. "Bloody bastards probably think I'll be the easiest one to get into bed. HAH. Lousy bastards. They are so stupid sometimes. They believe every word another bastard says. No offense to you or anything but your gender is really a crowd of dumbasses."

"Oy, watch your language. You want detention?"

At this they both fell into fits of hysterical laughter.

"Why? I really want to know who started it too."

"Started what?"

"The uh, 'I slept with Ophelia Amoretti' craze. It's hilarious how many guys I've apparently done in this school. The best part is that I don't even know who half of them are."

"Well, you are always surrounded by at least a handful of guys almost every second of your life. I guess those sort of rumors just come with attractive girls."

"Ah, the pain of being a beauty."

"Tell me about it." Spencer said, rolling his eyes.

"But you… have a group of girls stalking you and asking for your autograph! Why aren't you called a whore?"

"Because… maybe it's because I don't look like one."

"… If I understood you completely, did you just say I look like a whore?!"

"I did not. I don't look like one because I'm always studying and you are not one because you have too much dignity to be one."

"Oh yeah? Tell me more."

Spencer scratched his head, taking another swig from the bottle. "I mean, you are… hot… and you know, very alluring and all. And you do have your fair share of boyfriends and I have caught your with different guys past curfew. Remember the first time we met? You were in that room with that boy and you were giving me attitude about letting you finish or something."

"Oh, oh yeah! Tommy… that guy was such a pathetic loser but now he's got Brittany and they've been at it for a while. Nice to be sort of a match-maker figure, you know?"

"Yes, well, if I ever see them in a deserted classroom doing god knows what, I'll know who to blame. The point is… you may look trashy or act flirty or be experienced but through the time I've known you, you're actually a very self-righteous person and you would never stoop to that kind of level."

"I don't know if this is actually a compliment or not."

"Well, I don't know either. I'm just trying to say that I believe you. You're actually sort of nice. And I'm a very harsh critic of character."

"I have never felt so honored in my life."

"Well, good. Usually, my intuitions of people are always right. If anyone gives you trouble or anything, just don't give up on yourself. I'll back you up. I know you're no whore or anything. You're just a good looking, rich, obnoxiously charming Slytherin prefect."

"Keep up with this sycophancy, and I might even fall for you."

"Oh, merlins, you might be right. I just don't get this thing about girls."

"What thing?"

"How they all… are… sort of… in love with me."

"That was a very modest statement."

"But really! Have I ever treated them kindly? Did I ever wink at them or insinuate some sort of pretense of interest to them? No! I have barely even blinked an eye toward them and they come flocking at me like a bee to honey."

"Maybe you're just that devilishly good looking. You know, Professor Malfoy often talks about how when he looks at you, he sees a teenage mirror of himself and you know how much he values his beauty."

"Do I want to look like him?"

"You should, I mean, this might sound wrong because he is our professor and all and old enough to be our father but, Professor Malfoy is _hot_."

But Spencer was barely listening anymore. He had just passed through a new threshold of his drunken-ness with his fourth cup of scotch and a bottle of firewhiskey that he was now gazing over Ophelia empty-headedly.

"Tell me something interesting about you." He blabbered, resting his dizzy head on the counter.

Ophelia smirked and looked at him with a glint of amusement in her eyes. Without hesitation, she put down her third glass and cleared her throat. "I am a descendent of Italian royalty."

"No way!"

"Oh, don't think of it like that. My mother is the mistress of the king and I am merely the mistaken offspring."

"No way!"

"Yup. My father's elite group of royal advisors bought my mother and I the house we live in to stay mum about it. Which works out well, anyways, so my mother doesn't have to worry about a house."

"But, if this gets out…"

"Yes, but it won't be getting out. So according to everyone else, my father is supposedly dead and left a great will. Nobody will ever find out that in fact, my father is actually the Italian king."

"You're the illegitimate love child of the Italian king!"

(Author's note: I don't know what government Italy is in right now and I'm pretty sure it's not a monarchy but this is fanfiction and if I say Italy is a monarchy, then Italy is a monarchy. Booyah. (I LOVE ITALY. THAT PLACE IS GORGEOUS))

"Wow, thank you for telling me! That was very kind of you."

"I'm sorry, it just came out but… wow. You're the…"

"You already said it once, Weasley, no need to scream it out again." Ophelia chuckled slightly. "But it's okay. Who needs the king as a father? It'll just get pretentious ideas in my head. No, I live a normal life. Well, we are rich, and we do live in a luxury home and we basically have the power over the Italian government because we can create a scandal that could be disastrous for them. But none of that has to do with me, right? I'm just the problematic child who got in the middle of things."

"My parents are almost never at home. They're charm breakers, but they live in Egypt with my uncle. So basically, my sister and I live with our aunt and even though she offers all the time, we could never take any kind of allowance from her because she makes just enough from her shop to make ends meet and to support us comfortably."

"What's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"Just… living…"

"Well, it's different, you know? Everyone lives differently. You live in luxury, powerful with all the right connections. I live in humble modesty. It's different. We all live in the same world but the way we live… that's sort of our choice isn't it? How we live?"

"But sometimes you don't get a choice. Sometimes you get born into a mess and other people decide what to do with you. The moment I was born, people said, 'you will live in a house that the king will provide for you as long as you keep this newborn child a secret to the country.' So they send me here every year. Did they ask me what I wanted to do? Did they ask little baby Ophelia, 'how do you want to live the rest of your life, baby doll?' It's just… sometimes, people are controlled. Moved around like figurines on a play set. Nobody lets you make any choices for anything."

"Well, then, how do you want to live the rest of your life, baby doll?"

Ophelia remained silent, overcome suddenly by the question and searched herself for an answer.

"Me?"

"Ophelia Amoretti, how do you want to live the rest of your life?"

Ophelia tilted her head backwards and laughed merrily. She took the bottle of scotch and raised it.

"How do I want to live my life? With a lot of alcohol."

At this, they both cackled even harder, and Ophelia even fell off the stool.

"How do you want to live the rest of your life, _baby doll_?" Spencer asked, louder, almost singing.

Ophelia jumped up. "Lots of sex!"

"HOW DO YOU WANT TO LIVE YOUR LIFE?" Spencer screamed at the top of his lungs, standing up, inspired by a rush of drunken, yet maddening exhilaration.

"I'LL HAVE 28 BOYFRIENDS, 9 FIANCES, 4 HUSBANDS BUT ONE LOVER." She threw her arm in the air, the one holding the bottle of scotch as the liquid splashed out, spraying the two of them. Feeling her now wet dress, she began tearing it off, her giggles never ceasing. "I'LL NEVER WEAR CLOTHES AND RUN AROUND STARK NAKED ALL OVER DIAGON ALLEY!" She said with finality as she pulled off her dress robe all the way, clad in a mere thin black under-dress

The two of them tottered to the floor, shaking in laughter, unable to breathe a single breath of sober air.

OO

Mike was finally able to get free of all the girls trailing him when he spied Gaby at the snacks table, stuffing her face with all the finger foods. He made his way, taking a chocolate croissant.

"Are you here stag?"

Gaby didn't look up from her food. "I am right now."

"What happened to coming with Caleb Libby?"

"Apparently Professor has him on maintenance."

Mike coughed. "Only? I would suspect he'd give him a lot more than just that."

"Well, Professor's in a good mood because he's got himself a hot date tonight."

"Oh, which supermodel is it today?"

"My aunt." Gaby grinned widely, nodding over to Ginny who was on the other side of the table, striking a conversation with her old friend, Professor Longbottom.

"You're aunt, eh?"

"Professor Malfoy is totally ga-ga over her. It's so obvious. Hey, auntie, come meet our head boy. He's perfect."

"No I'm not!" Mike exclaimed profusely.

"He's supposed to be. Mike can be very modest at times."

"Ah, well, Mike, it's very nice to meet you. Head boy, huh? Who's the head girl? I swear, it's Hogwarts legend that the head boy and girl hook up at least once during the school year. And even if they don't even like each other, the pressure of the myth does it for them anyways. See, I'm lucky the head boy was Bra-" Gaby cut Ginny off.

"Auntie, you're talking too much. Mike is practically gay."

"No I'm not!" Mike cried wildly.

"Never had a girlfriend the entire seven years he's been here."

Ginny looked surprised. "No way!"

"Well, if you don't count the fact that the majority of the female population would lose their virginity to him, then yeah. This man is a lone ranger."

"Gaby, Gaby, don't talk in such a vulgar vernacular. I swear, if your mother was here, she would not stop going off on you in her French English." Ginny warned the girl.

"Then I'll just blame it all on you!"

Ginny shook her head. "Un-fair. How do you deal with this child, Mike?"

"I don't know, Miss Weasley. I manage somehow."

"Where's your date anyways, Gaby? Did you chase them all away?" Ginny asked.

"Nah. Professor Malfoy just went sadistic on him but he's coming over here now. Hey, Caleb!"

Caleb walked over to where the three of them were and put on a forced smile. "Sorry… Professor Malfoy had me…"

"Yeah, yeah, we know. You poor thing." Gaby patted Caleb's back.

"Serves you right though. How in the world did you get your prefect badge in the first place? Do you have no such thing called responsibility?" Mike grumbled bitterly.

Caleb looked up at the head boy, his ego obviously bruised. "Excuse me?"

"I would think Professor Malfoy would have taken away your badge at the very least. You know how much stress you put everyone through because of your senseless frolicking?"

"What are you talking about? Who the hell are you?"

"And you never show up to meetings, hence you can't even recognize the head boy." Mike muttered.

"You!"

"Yes, it is me, is there a problem?"

"At least I have the decency not to steal another man's date into the banquet. What kind of lousy play is that?" Caleb argued.

"What are you talking about?"

"Professor Malfoy said you were the one who came in here with Gaby! Who the hell do you think you are, stooping that low?"

"Excuse me? I was here since a half an hour before the banquet began to finish preparing because some prefect didn't get any of their duties done."

"But…"

"Nobody dumb enough would believe a word Professor Malfoy says."

"I'll have to agree with Mike on that." Gaby piped up, obviously amused by the little quarrel.

"You're supposed to be on my side, Gaby! You're my date!" Caleb exclaimed, rather childishly.

"I know, babe, I know. Mama's here for you." Gaby teased, petting his hair.

Blushing, Caleb cleared his throat.

"Oh, yeah, great game yesterday, by the way! You completely swiped the Slytherins off their feet."

"Oh, yeah, thanks."

"What was the score, like 230 to 120? And your team didn't even get the snitch but managed to win anyways!"

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't get too excited because we're playing you next, Hufflepuff." Gaby retorted, a smirk playing on her lips.

Caleb laughed loudly. "Oh yeah? With me on the team? I don't think so."

"Now, now, I wouldn't be saying things before the game, Libby."

"You may be a swell chaser, but you're just a girl, Gaby. You're just so cute nobody can play against you because you're so damn distracting but don't worry; I'll train my boys up. Although, I, myself, might need some extra coaching in that matter." Caleb commented, winking.

However, his cheesy attempt of a pick up line failed tremendously. Gaby chortled, not flirtatiously but derogatorily.

"Good one, Caleb. I'll try not to look _so damn distracting _when I play you guys next week because oh, you know, I'm just that attractive when I'm kicking your ass." Gaby replied, every word lathered in sarcasm.

Mike snorted, earning himself a glare from the belittled Hufflepuff.

"Well, then, may I have this dance, Gabrielle Weasley?" Caleb asked, clearing his throat and offering his hand.

Gaby sighed, stuffed the last strawberry in her mouth and followed him out to the floor, waving at her aunt on her way out.

"I just don't get it." Mike said, sighing.

"Get how anyone would still like her even with her vulgar language, credits to her uncle Ron, and her attitude?" Ginny asked.

"No, how anyone could still like _him_. I don't even know why he's a prefect."

"He seemed pretty… well, no, but he wasn't that bad…"

"He never does anything! He's got the responsibility of a five year old, he doesn't care about school at all and he's always off somewhere doing god knows what leaving everyone else to clean up after his mess. And he's just about as supercilious as professor Malfoy but without the credentials."

"Wow that totally does not sound like Gaby to me!" Ginny gasped, smirking.

Mike opened his mouth, struggling. "Well… Gaby's different. She's…"

Ginny gave him a knowing look, grinning widely.

"Huh… then maybe they _are _made for each other." Mike grumbled, bowing politely and hulking off to the entrance where Professor McGonagall was beckoning him.

OO

"Miss Weasley, where do you think you're going?"

Ginny pivoted slowly on her feet, like a deer caught in headlights.

"…out?"

Draco leaned against the door of the great hall.

"Who said you could just… leave?"

"For goodness sakes, Malfoy, I don't have time to kid with you. I'm not a student and I have full rights over myself so good night and have a swell time."

"But," Draco grabbed the collar of his shirt dramatically. "How could you just leave your date just one hour into the dance? So rude! What if I am never to be the same person again?"

"Oh, please, I was not your date since you pushed me through the passageway and forced me here."

"Now, now, you can't talk to your customers like that, can you? And I'm a regular as well… shame on you. Shame, shame, shame."

"Quit it, Malfoy. I'm in no mood to joke with you."

"Are you just going to stay mad at me forever?"

"And what if I do?"

"What good will that do? You'd have lost a regular customer, I won't be there to spy on the twins for you and you'd be stuck with some jerk forever, and then I'll be pretty bored all by myself here, I'll be drinking shit coffee, and I won't be able to apologize to you."

"I have enough regular customers to keep me eating and sleeping. And, I don't need you to be 'spying on the twins' because I have something called trust and Jake is not a jerk. I don't care if you're bored all day or if you drink shit coffee and I highly doubt that Draco Malfoy would have the brain capacity to apologize to anyone."

"Well, maybe I normally don't go around apologizing or saying thank you but I was raised with perfect etiquette and manners. And I know what I said earlier tonight was sort of a Jake Diggory-esque thing to do. So surprise, surprise, I'm sorry. If I should have insulted anyone it's Jake."

"And of course, as a Malfoy, you always find your way around things that would lower your self esteem. You wronged Jake, Malfoy! Why can't you just suck it up and admit it?"

"Because I know I didn't. You don't know my side of the tear jerking tale Diggory cried and you don't know what I've been through. There's nothing for me to admit except that Diggory doesn't have half the maturity to accept the past."

"How can someone accept that his girlfriend is going to a dance with his mother's murderer?"

"Because he knows well enough that I was clearly under the imperius curse when I crucio'ed his mother and I almost killed myself trying to fight it and by the time I broke the imperius, she was far beyond being a sane mortal and was begging me to just finish her off."

"If that's so, why don't you just tell him that? I'm sure he would forgive you."

"I don't want to be forgiven by him. I know he hates me and I believe he has the full right to. Think about it. If anyone had killed your mother, no matter the consequences, you can't help but still feel hatred for that person. That's why when he calls me a murderer and a killer and a death eater, I can't help but just let him. But when he takes that out on you or causes you to get stuck into this mess between the two of us, I can't forgive him. You have nothing to do with me killing his mother and I hate the way he treats you like dirt just because of me."

Ginny stood there looking like a goldfish, not knowing how to refute him or what else to chide him about.

"Do you forgive me now?"

"Why do you care so much about how Jake treats me? Why does everyone care so much?"

"Because you're too dumb to see what an ass he is and you're too nice to be with someone like him. It's easy. Everybody hates him and everybody loves you and immediately, everyone close to you will come to hate him even more."

"And you call yourself 'close to me?'"

Draco smirked. "I will be if you dance with me."

"I don't dance."

"You're a liar. If you're not mad at me anymore and if you would just try to have a good time, I can't find any reason why you can't just come back and dance with me." He drawled.

"No, I'm sorry, I think you misunderstood. I don't dance… with a Malfoy." Ginny taunted, with a mischievous glint in her eye and she took steps back to the hall.

"I thought you'd say that so I prepared this before I left tonight." Draco said, turning around, his head down and his back against her.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?"

Draco spun back around his hands on his hips. Immediately, Ginny fell into a fit of thunderous laughter. Draco was sporting a pair of black rimmed, round glasses and he had drawn a lightening shaped scar on his forehead.

"I'm Harry Potter. I am big and famous because I killed Lord Voldemort." Draco sauntered to Ginny, swaying his hips provocatively. "Look at my glasses. They make me just sooooo seeexxxxyyy. Not at all nerdy. I know you want me, Ginevra, baby. I know you can't get enough of this scar on my face because you know; my love for you is like lightening. It's electrifying. Tsssss." Draco hissed.

"Stop-it! You're humiliating me and yourself." Ginny panted between her giggling.

"Humiliating? What are you talking about?! Can't you just… feel me?" He whispered dramatically, grabbing her hand and pulling her hips to him with his other arm as he tango'ed her back into the great hall.

(A/N; that was by far the wildest Draco will ever get in this story. Oh, what good fun it was to write. Hehe.)

OO

"First kiss. What was it like?" Spencer asked, spread out on the kitchen counter next to Ophelia. His stuffy dress robes were long forgotten and his shirt was hanging with Ophelia's dress over the shelf because it was drenched with scotch and rum.

"First kiss? Why so interested?"

"Just."

"You're in for a surprise." Ophelia warned, giggling.

"Hit me."

"Mike Felton."

"No way!"

"My second year. I was just walking to class and suddenly I see this boy running and running toward me so I start to move aside a little but suddenly, this random stranger grabs me and kisses me."

"Wow."

"Yeah." Ophelia chuckled. "And then this tall, haughty looking girl walks up, tears us apart, slaps me across the face and slaps him twice and then she screams 'How dare you do this to me, you lousy bastard!' And she walked right off and this bloke picks up my books, and walks me straight to class. Turns out, she'd been stalking him for ages and he was trying to get her to leave him alone for once."

"He actually kissed a stranger to get rid of a stalker?"

"Ah, well, whatever works, you know? Mike Felton really is something. You put Mike Felton on the pedestal and worship that guy… but there's a reason he's a Slytherin, you know."

"But even I would never do that!"

"Exactly. That man is a bloody metamorphmagus! And he damn acts like it too. He mixes in with the crowd so well that his little fan girls would just pass right by him until one of them somehow ends up recognizing him. He's smart when he's in class, he's ruthlessly ignorant when it comes to girls, he's chill when he'll when he's with his friends… this man is a human chameleon."

"He's…"

"You idolize him too much, Spence. Nobody can be perfect. I know how much you look up to him and strive to be like him, but you really shouldn't. And honestly, you can't. Mike's a great guy and he's been like the father I've never had, but I've got to say… he's messed up beyond repair."

"Well, he's still…"

"Amazing, okay, but he's not God."

"So unbelievable. What is there about you that I DO know?"

"Well… let's see… nobody was lying when they said I was the school's best kisser."

"Who said that?"

"Just about… everybody."

"Who's the modest one now?"

"I'm serious!"

Spencer snorted. "Oh, _yeah_, whatever makes you happy…"

Disgruntled, Ophelia rolled over on top of him.

Spencer choked. "Jesus, Ophelia! You're going to suffocate me to death!"

"You take that back!"

"Absurd!"

Ophelia finger combed her hair together into a ponytail, away from her face, holding it all behind her with her right hand. She looked down at Spencer and smiled. "You're going to regret it, young man."

She took his upper lip and pushed it upward and his bottom lip downward. She spread his lips apart then brought her head down and kissed him. He lay motionless and still, in a hazy shock. He had never kissed a girl in his life before yet the way Ophelia molded her lips around his caused an instant reaction. Whether it was all the booze or not and the fact that he was completely wasted, he was somehow managing to kiss her back. His body reacted on its own, letting her tongue in, and then his hand coming up to her neck and caressing her ear.

Ophelia suddenly pulled back, panting and rolled back off of him, lying there, breathing heavily next to him. Spencer stared, dumbfounded, at the ceiling, admiring the lights and his mind racing.

"You know, when I was little, I once had a little mouse." Spencer said.

Ophelia nodded. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I named him mousey and he was my best friend."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And then, one day, I came home and it was gone."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Apparently, Gaby's snake ate it."

"No way!"

"Yeah. So I buried it in my backyard that day and then Gaby bought me a dog."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And then, one day, Gaby's snake bit it and it died from losing too much blood."

"Oh dear."

"Yeah. So we had to confiscate Gaby's snake. And our mom bought us each an ice cream sundae."

"Well that's good."

"Yeah. And then…"

"Spence?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you talking?"

"I don't know. When I get nervous I tend to talk. Well I usually just sit there and read but there are no books here."

Spencer sat up, and then slipped down off the counter. Ophelia looked up, saw he had come down and sat up too. Spencer offered her his hand and she jumped down.

"I'm sorry, Ophelia."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Spencer slid his hand up her bare, shivering arm, and brought it to her chin, lifting it slightly. He stepped forward, the wall between them obliterating, and his entire body engulfed her, her lips warm yet trembling, her skin soft yet throbbing, and her body, dainty, weightless, and bare, yet beautiful against his.

OO

Mike sighed and tapped Gaby harder. "Gaby, get up. You're getting in the way of all the cleaning up."

"I can't stand anymore."

"Oh, come on, you're the grand Quidditch player. One night of dancing couldn't have killed you."

"Yeah, but Quidditch lets you use _brooms_."

"That's no excuse. You're a slave driver. Come on. People have to sleep you know."

Gaby groaned loudly and pushed herself up exhaustingly, and trudged over to the table and plopped down.

With a flick of a wand, the floor was completely cleared of trash and glittery sparkles.

"Did you have a good time?" Gaby asked.

"Didn't really have a lot of time to enjoy myself."

"It must suck to be the head boy."

"Yeah, well, I would rather have had all these trivial jobs to do instead of dance with 40 girls. How'd it go with your prince charming?"

"Prince charming? Nah. He's a lousy dancer. But at least Caleb Libby can look good while dancing like a buffoon."

"How meaningful of you, Gaby."

"I know. But what a sweet guy. He even asked me out today."

"No, really?"

"Right after the dance ended. Outside. Then I came back in here to pester you while you cleaned."

"Oh yeah? Well you're doing a very good job at it."

"Aw, come on don't be a spoilsport."

"What'd you say?"

"What'd I say? You mean to Caleb?"

"No, I meant what'd you say to Professor Snape, no of course Caleb."

"Well, I said yes of course! Who wouldn't say yes to those gorgeous eyes."

"And amazingly, by the minute you become even more superficial."

"Oh, please, the whole personality thing is so overrated. I'm young and restless and free. But no longer single. Ah, well, I hope he lasts me until Christmas."

"I don't know how I was able to stand you until now, Gaby."

"Me too."

"Were you always this… air-headed?"

"I wouldn't say I'm air-headed, Mikey, now, that's just mean."

"You know… forget it. I can't bother trying to make a real conversation with you."

"Are you mad?"

"I don't know, do you think I'm mad?"

"Yeah."

"Then maybe I am. Now, unless you're going to stay in here the whole night, you should head back. I'm locking up."

"What's you're problem, Mike? Seriously. Did you eat something wrong?"

"No."

"Is this about Caleb? How you don't approve of him?"

"Well, I really don't approve of him but…"

"For goodness sakes, Mike. I don't need your damn approval to date someone. You're just my tutor, not my father. So quit your frowning just chill out."

"I'm not mad because of Caleb. I'm mad at myself because I acquainted myself with someone like you. I never realized what a shallow bimbo you really were. I think you and Caleb are perfect for each other. You're both brain-less, arrogant, small minded, immature, and irresponsible."

"Yeah? I always admired you, Mike. You know for what? I admired because you were just so cool-headed with everything and unpretentious but you're just as much of a pest as Spencer could be except I actually love Spencer for it."

"You date a guy because he's just so good looking and popular and if you do go out with him, you'll be the envy of all the other girls."

"At least I actually have a life."

"You call that having a life? How about I have enough self-respect to try to find people who I can actually be happy with and not just look good with?"

"I'm not that dumb! Caleb is a sweet guy and he makes me happy."

"Wow, Gaby, you're even worse that Ophelia. At least Ophelia doesn't try to justify herself."

"I am so tired of you comparing me with every other girl in this school. It's always Anna this or Anna that and now it's Ophelia. I don't even know why I'm still bothering to talk to you now because you're being such a stubborn, anal bastard and obviously, I won't be able to get anything through you today. So good night, Mike, and I hope you have a fantastic sleep."

Gaby stomped off out of the hall and away from Mike's sight.

OO

"You should go back, Malfoy. Filch might catch you after curfew." Ginny whispered as Draco walked her back to the store.

"I'm a gentleman and gentlemen always walk their lady back home."

"You just want coffee, don't you."

"Okay, yes, that did cross my mind a few times."

"Come in, then. But I'll kick you out in five minutes. A woman needs her beauty sleep."

They scurried into the warm shop and Draco sat down again in his regular stool.

"Tea, please."

"Tea? That's a surprise." Ginny said, grinning.

"Yes, well, I changed my mind."

"Here you go."

"Thank you." Draco held the cup with both his freezing hands and sipped, the scorching liquid melting his insides.

"I don't know how to say this but I actually had fun tonight." Ginny said.

"A woman never goes home dissatisfied from Draco Malfoy."

"Oh, please, don't start again."

"But really… I'm going to have an interesting set of weeks coming up."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"Could you not see all the sexual tension everywhere? I mean, first off, it's so obvious Mike Felton has a thing for your little niece."

Ginny snorted. "What, Gaby? Such a guy like Mike? No…"

"I'm so serious. They used to have tutoring sessions in my classroom, and I tell you, it was like watching a couple on a date. The entire time it's flirt, flirt, flirt, giggle, giggle, giggle… I couldn't stand it and had to kick them out. And then there's Anna Jenkins. She's a lovely girl… extremely smart and very pretty and she's completely head over heels for Mike."

"You sure do a lot of observations."

Draco shook his head profusely. "It doesn't even take observation skills. Just five minutes looking at everyone, you can just see it. No wonder how Dumbledore always seemed to know who was hooked up with who."

"Tell me more, then."

"Well, this one puzzles me incredibly but did you notice that Spencer and Ophelia were barely present for the entire dance? I mean, I wasn't very surprised Spencer wasn't there but Ophelia disappeared too…"

"Ophelia? Ophelia Amoretti? Her mother is…"

"Too young to be over forty but it's just a suspicion."

"Yes, well, I'm afraid I'll have to destroy your dreams of hooking up the head boy with Gaby. She and Caleb seemed to be hitting it off tonight."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh, you think I couldn't tell? But even better. Now we can give Mike a chance to get all jealous and bam, they'll be married by the end of the year."

"Don't get too excited, Malfoy. Just warning you."

"I've never been let down before."

"I never knew you were so interested in matchmaking."

"It's not an interest… it's just sort of a talent. I think I have the sixth sense or something."

"That's… great…"

Draco chuckled and leaned forward across the counter. "I mean, not to get awkward or anything but I guess I'm just so drawn to you because we have a very pleasant sense," he whispered.

"Oh yes, very pleasant." She said, rolling her eyes.

"See? You're a sarcastic person… so am I!"

"A match made in heaven." Ginny said, snorting.

"Well, fine, laugh at me. But my cup is empty and I believe my five minutes are over so I'm quite sorry to have to close up our night to an end."

"And I'm going to be closing up the shop. Here's your cloak. Thank you." Ginny said, handing him his dress robe.

Draco nodded. "No, thank _you_. Now, usually I leave ladies with a little something to remember me by but then again, I don't think this will be the last time I ever see you so I'll be leaving you guilt-less."

Ginny frowned, shaking her head. "I don't even want to know what you're talking about."

Draco slipped Ginny his mug over the counter which she took. As she held the mug, he took her hand, brought it to his face and kissed it. He smirked, throwing on his robes and nodded curtly.

"Au revoir, mademoiselle."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

WOWWWWWWW

I HOPE THIS 8400 WORD SUCKA MAKES UP FOR THE LONG UPDATE. AND THIS IS THE ABRIDGED VERSION. IT WAS NORMALLY LIKE 10,000 WORDS BUT I REALIZED THAT I COULDN'T EVEN READ THROUGH IT ALL IN ONE SITTING SO I'VE CUT OUT BITS AND PIECES OF IT AND I DON'T REALLY HAVE THE ENERGY RIGHT NOW TO READ THROUGH IT ALL AGAIN TO SEE IF IT FLOWS SO THIS CHAPTER IS A BIT CHOPPY.

ANYWAYS, I SAID THAT THE BANQUET WON'T BE A CENTRAL POINT OF THE STORY BUT I'M AFRAID I'VE SORT OF MADE IT A BIG PLOT-POINT. OH, WELL, IT'S EXPECTED RIGHT? YOU JUST CAN'T EXPECT ME TO WRITE ABOUT A BANQUET WHERE EVERONE GOES, HAS FUN AND GOES TO BED.

ANYWAYS, I **REALLY** DON'T LIKE THE MIKE-GABY FIGHT AT ALL. I'VE MADE GABY SOUND WAAAYYYYYY TOO BRATTY AND MIKE SOUND WAYYYY TOO BITCHY BUT DON'T MAKE ME GO BACK AND REREAD IT AND EDIT IT. OH MAN. THIS IS REALLY THE LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER WRITTEN.

ANYWAYS, I HOPE NONE OF YOU FELL ASLEEP OR ANYTHING AND WERE ABLE TO DEAL THIS MASSIVE CHAPTER. TRUTHFULLY, WHEN I READ STORIES WHOSE CHAPTERS ARE TOO LONG, I JUST GIVE UP. SO I HOPE YOU GUYS DON'T DO THAT AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

REVIEW!

I REALLY NEED A LOT OF COMPLIMENTS NOW AFTER FINISHING 8400 WORDS.

I WOULD EXTREMELY APPRECIATE IT.

ANYWAYS. I promise you that I will never write a chapter as long as or longer than this one ever again. It's just that I didn't want to have to divide the banquet into two parts and everything… and there was just so much to say.

ANYWAYS, I'm so tired, I really don't care if this chapter is really cheesy/corny because you try writing beautifully when you've got a relationship to break, another relationship to break and then reassemble, and a distant relationship to bring closer in one chapter.

So yeah.

Please review. Because this time I think I actually need a little pat on the back. Even if you hated it (which I did), just be like "GOOD JOB ON FINISHING ONE MASSIVE PIECE OF SHIT!"

Thanks, guys, for your patience and your love and your existence. I love you and you and you and you.

G'NIGHT!

-your one and only (HOLY CRAP, THIS IS 32 PAGES)

_Jade Mist Organic_

This tea has a fresh, bright taste with a mildly brisk flavor that's very drinkable. Jade Mist gets its name from the fog and mist showers that shroud the green hills of Jin Shan in China's Zhejiang province, where this tea is grown. Careful measures are taken to produce this tea organically in accordance with international standards. The cup is fresh, bright and brisk, with aromatic hints of green peas and kale, leaving a crisp aftertaste  



	8. Espresso Forte

Ophelia woke up for a start. It might have been her inner alarm clock blaring or the clatter of pots but she was sure it must have been the sweetest aroma of coffee she had ever experienced. She sat up, extremely groggy and her head feeling as if it was caving in. And being the daughter of a party animal, Ophelia normally had a very high alcohol tolerance but this was too much. She couldn't even remember where she was.

"Awake?" A soft voice came from above her. She pried her eyes open barely and managed to make out a figure, a boy. She could barely make out his face in the glare of the sunlight but he was leaning on the windowsill, looking almost like a godsend, ethereal with the halo of light around him. His shirt had been put on hastily and his buttons have been left unbuttoned, his pants sagging without the support of a belt around his thin waist.

"Why… hello… who are you? I can't see you very well. And where are we?"

"It's me, Phelia. Spencer. And we're in the kitchens. Coffee?"

"I thought I smelled something heavenly. Thank you."

She saw him pouring her a cup and he reached over to hand it to her. With just one sip, her body relaxed, and her eyes cleared up, her headache relieved. She looked down at her surroundings and sure enough, she was in the kitchens, under the counter, wrapped up comfortably in some satin cloth that she vaguely remembered as being Spencer's dress robes. Ophelia stood up, picking up the robes with her other hand and set it on a stool.

"Thanks. This coffee is amazing."

"It's just school coffee." Spencer said humbly.

"School coffee doesn't taste like this."

"Well, I work at a coffee shop. And this is my aunt's coffee. So I'm pretty much at home here. Sit, sit. Let's not stand around awkwardly."

He pulled out a stool for her and sat down himself next to her.

Ophelia smiled, sat, and drank. "This works even better than the flavored hangover potions my mom makes me."

"Well, this is my aunt's remedy. Add in a little Chilean dark chocolate and you're all set."

"So…"

"So…"

Ophelia sighed. "What the hell happened here?"

"You know, I woke up and sort of had a feeling… but I really don't want to think it's true. I was hoping you would remember."

"Well, yes, I'm assuming that whatever you assumed is true, by the lack of clothing we have on," Ophelia said, looking down at her skimpy underdress.

"But it can't be true… maybe we were playing dress-up?"

"Oh, please, Spence, do you honestly believe that? We had sex, all right?"

Spencer massaged his temples, "But how could this happen? We've nothing in common, nor was I ever extremely aroused by you in any way before or anything…"

"Awkward…"

"I mean, my virginity actually meant something to me. Or at least I didn't want it wasted on some meaningless, drunken sex in the kitchens. I know this probably won't be a big deal for you but it is for me."

Ophelia's eyes narrowed. "Oh, _I'm _sorry…"

"I'm sorry, Ophelia, that this ever happened. Why don't we both, uh, try to forget it ever happened?"

"I have very good memory, you know." Ophelia replied darkly.

"And so do I. This isn't easier for me than it is for you, Ophelia. It's _my _first time that's under the counter, not yours. But maybe if we just at least pretend to forget anything happened…"

"Why do we have to pretend? Are you that ashamed of sleeping with me or something?" she inquired, feeling her temper boiling.

"I'm not ashamed, I'm just… it's just…"

"No, no, it's okay. You don't have to say it. I actually don't want to hear it, especially from you. Thanks for the coffee, Spence. You have a nice life." She said, kicking her stool aside, grabbing her robes and stalking out of the kitchens.

OO

"Wow, Spence, you look like you've been to hell and back twenty times." Gaby said as Spencer came into the great hall for breakfast. Only half the school had woken up by 8 am to eat and the great hall was strangely quite bare.

"I feel like it too. I'm sitting here." He replied heavily, finding his seat next to Gaby.

"I guess I can't stop you. What's wrong? Why do you look like shit?"

"Gaby, I don't really want to…"

"Did something happen last night? Because you're not the only one."

Spencer looked up and frowned. "What do you mean? What did you do?"

"Oh, please, get rid of that accusatory tone. It's just a lot of things happened."

"Give me the details."

"Well, let's see… Apparently, Jake tried stopping auntie from coming and apparently Professor Malfoy killed Jake's mother at the war."

"What?! No wonder Jake was such a…"

"But it was so indirectly and that was over a decade ago."

"So then what happened?"

"Well Professor got her to come anyways because he knew how much she actually wanted to and got in a little spat with Jake. Then he came back but auntie was so pissed because he pushed her here and they got in a little spat."

"And the good news is…"

"I'm getting there! She avoided him practically the whole night until the end when he came to talk to her and then they danced a bit and took her outside and I don't know what happened after that because I couldn't see but I saw Professor coming back in by himself after the dance."

"Hm… what do you think happened?"

"I don't know. I'll have to pry it out of either of them."

"Good luck with getting that out of Professor."

"Yeah well… I got a boyfriend."

"Who's it this time? Mike?"

Gaby looked up fiercely at his name. "Mike? Why would you think it's Mike?"

"I don't know, I mean you're always with him somewhere these days."

"No! Mike is just my lousy head boy tutor."

"Hm, then who is it?"

"Caleb Libby."

Spencer dropped his fork. "No."

"Yes?"

"You can't date that bastard." Spencer stated.

"And you can't tell me what to do."

"You center your life around Quidditch so you don't understand what an ass he is."

"Oh you heads and prefects. It's all about responsibility, isn't it? Well I don't care. I get what I want, Spence, and Caleb is no exception."

"Gawd, Gaby, why do you have the worst taste in men? This isn't really the kind of situation where you can be selfish and ambitious. I read that usually a girl will try to find a man who resembles her brother most. And I am insulted that you would choose Caleb Libby."

"Caleb Libby is the most sought after man in the sixth year and you are the most sought after man in the fifth year. See the resemblance? Besides, he's sweet, good looking and totally head over heels fallen for me."

"He just wants you in bed, Gaby."

"Sure, but that doesn't mean I'll give it to him."

"You better stick to that, Gaby. If I ever catch you two…"

"We'll make sure not to get caught then, okay?" Gaby spat.

"But I still don't approve."

"Changing the subject, tell me your story."

"I don't really feel like telling you anymore."

"So you'll just carry this to your grave?"

"I'll just carry this out of school."

"I'm your sister, Spence. You're supposed to tell me everything."

"And you're supposed to listen to me when I tell you that you're dating a jerk. I bet you get that trait from auntie."

"I'm not… don't force the subject back to me! Tell me what's wrong with you!"

"You want to know?"

"Yes."

"Promise you won't go crazy on me or tell the whole school."

"Okay, I promise."

"You won't laugh at me or anything right?"

"No! Gosh, what is it? Did you finally touch a girl?"

"Well, technically, yes."

"Oh, wow, that's crazy. You're one big party animal. Woohoo!" Gaby exclaimed.

"Quiet down! There's more."

"What, you danced?"

"No…"

"Kissed?"

"Yes…"

Gaby rolled her eyes. "Wow! Impressive."

"There's more."

"Huh… did homework together?"

"This is serious, Gaby!"

"Well, I don't know! I can't imagine you doing anything with a girl."

Spencer sighed and put his head in his hands. "I had sex," he mumbled inaudibly.

Gaby frowned and leaned in closer. "You did what? You ate meat?"

"I had sex." He repeated, a little louder but still barely audible.

"Gosh, Spence, could you talk any more softly? It's not like you slept with anyone or anything."

Spencer looked up and immediately by the look of his eyes, Gaby shot up from her seat.

"Oh bloody hell, you… you actually… _you had sex?!_" She whispered fiercely.

"Say it a little louder won't you?"

"And you let me go on and on about auntie and professor when you're the one who actually… who was it? Who was this poor child?"

"Ophelia."

"And not even just any girl you slept with the…"

"GABY! Please!"

"I don't believe it. I never imagined that you would lose your virginity before me."

"Why, thank you, Gaby."

"You're the one telling me about how Caleb Libby just wants in on my pants when you're the one who… wow! Wow! Congratulations!" She said, clapping him on his back.

"If you tell a single soul in Hogwarts, I will see the end of you. And if you ever bother me about it, I will physically have to make sure you never can."

Gaby smirked. "Really, Spence, what kind of sister do you see me for? Muffin?"

Spencer shook his head but Gaby grabbed the blueberry one off the plate and stuffed it in his mouth.

"What are you going to do about Ophelia?" She asked as Spencer yanked the muffin out of his mouth.

"I asked her if we could forget about the whole thing but she didn't seem to get why we should."

"Well why do you think you should?"

"Because! It was obviously just some senseless, drunken sex that neither of us actually wanted. So why should we think about it? Do I want to remember that my first time was with Ophelia Amoretti?"

"But don't you think that's a little harsh on her?"

"How would it be harsh on her?"

"I don't know but she's a nice girl despite her reputation. You could have at least said it nicer like, 'I'm sorry this had to happen and make things awkward between us but maybe we can put it aside and try to go back to the way things were?'"

"There's nothing for us to 'go back to.'"

"You two seemed pretty friendly."

"Well, of course, we're prefects and we need to set examples."

"That's a lame excuse, Spence. I still think you were too hard on her. Even if those rumors about her are true, she's still a girl and girls have feelings that can break very easily by mean things. Did I say that simply enough for you to understand?"

"_You _don't have feelings. Maybe that's why I'm not particularly any nicer to girls than to anyone else."

"Hey, you can't go putting the blame on someone so innocent in this situation like me. Now my advice is to pack up your courage and say what I told you to say and apologize."

"There's nothing to apologize for. I told her the truth and that's that. I don't go around lying to people to make them feel better."

Gaby threw a grape at him. "You're a mean boy, Spencer Weasley."

"And it's all your fault."

OO

An hour turned into a day, a day turned into a night, a night turned into a week and sooner or later, Draco Malfoy was sitting at his teacher's desk during free period, enjoying the bareness of his classroom when Gabrielle Weasley came slugging in, looking like a hazardous mess. She was paler than normal, her hair more disheveled than normal and her pajama pants baggy and trailing every footstep that she made on the ground, and she carried with her a large fluffy yellow blanket.

"Welcome, Miss Weasley. I'm sorry, but I don't remember inviting you to my sleepover." Draco drawled, sitting up in his chair to greet her.

"Professor, I'm not in any condition to joke with you."

"Well, all right then, what can I help you with?"

"Tell me, professor, what is the thing with men?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do they have a problem with apologizing?"

Draco blinked. "Depends."

"I mean, I know I can be very egotistical but I know when I'm pushing it into being just very… selfish. And childish."

"Well, that's very good to know." Draco replied awkwardly.

"I mean, okay, I understand that some people have problems apologizing or something but how far can a guy push his immaturity?" Gaby pushed on, her face blazing.

"Who am I? Your manicurist?"

"Listen, you're the Slytherin head, right?"

"Oh, yes, that question I can answer."

"Now tell me, _what the hell is wrong with Mike Felton?_"

Draco sighed. "Oh, what'd he do now?"

"FINE! He doesn't have to apologize! But he can't just decide that just because we argued once that we can never talk again and ditch out on tutoring me."

"He did that?"

"I went to his dorms because we always meet Friday nights but Anna said he was by the lake overseeing detention or something so I go out to the lake and look all around but he'd already left and then I get attacked by the squid and when things can't get any worse, it turns out that I'm locked out because now it's past curfew and I wait outside for a whole hour until Hagrid just happens to be out too and lets me in. If he was going to ditch out on me, can't he have at least half the decency to owl me if he can't stand to see my face?"

"Ah, couples fights are never a pleasant experience." Draco said, with an amused smirk on his face.

"It's NOT a couples fight!"

"Or so you think."

Gaby's already feverish cheeks grew redder with frustration. "You're just the same! I bet he acts that way because of your negative influence!"

Draco gasped melodramatically. "Negative influence?! Me?! Never!"

"Listen, I don't care anymore. If we lose the game today because I'm sick, I will single-handedly dismember Mike Felton myself. Even if it gets me into Azkaban."

Draco stopped on his tracks. "There's a game today?"

"Yeah, against Hufflepuff."

"You can't play!"

"Yes I can!"

"But you're sick and you look like you'll pass out any second!"

"I just need some rest."

"I'm not usually the fatherly kind but I really must tell you that you should really watch out for you body." Draco said, sternly.

"I know, I know, I am."

"Oh, and playing the game in your condition is good for your health… how?"

"I just can't not play today."

"Isn't your boyfriend playing?"

"Yes…?"

"And yet you're so set on winning? Against him?"

"Even more. What do you expect? That I'll lose the game just because of some dumb boyfriend and show weakness and let him take advantage of it?"

Draco frowned. "That is unheard of. Did you think of that idea?"

"I mean think about it. He only hasn't tried sleeping with me or anything of that sort because he's so bloody scared of me. But if we lose the game and even worse, if he catches the snitch and I don't, I'd become the weak one. Y'hear?"

"No, I don't. But let me just tell you, I strongly advise you not to play today. As a professor and a mentor…"

"Thanks for caring, Professor but it's okay. You probably just want us to forfeit so that Slytherin could get boosted up a rank."

The bell rang, and their discussion ended. Immediately, Draco jumped out of his chair.

"I am a sadist, of course, but I would never wish for a student to die for a Quidditch game. Now, Miss Weasley, don't do anything rash and get some sleep. Go visit Madame Pomfrey."

"What are you in such a rush for?"

"Me? I've got a hot date."

"What, with my aunt?"

Draco paused. "Yeah, no, I forgot you're her niece."

"Wait, what? She finally dumped that sore bloke?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know. I was just kidding."

Gaby looked genuinely crestfallen. "It's not like a completely approve of you as my aunt's boyfriend or deem you worthy enough but you _are _much better than Jake. Say, professor, you always talk about what a charmer you are. Why don't you try wooing my aunt?"

"We've been through this, Weasley. Please do not stick your stuffy, congested nose into your professor's love life."

"_LOVE LIFE_? She's in you _love life _now What is this?! I never gave you permission to date her!"

"What is this about wooing your aunt? You want me to win her over and then dump her as soon as she leaves Jake Diggory?"

"Well, not if you put it like that."

"Now, now, you are not a very nice niece. And I was just kidding. If there's one thing a Malfoy does not do, it's stealing another man's woman. And I am running errands for McGonagall because it seems like the school supply of coffee is decreasing madly. I'm merely making a new order."

"Oh, that's boring."

"No, actually it's quite interesting, you know, how quickly coffee can just… vanish. Like _that_." Draco said, snapping loudly in front of Gaby's face, making her jump back a bit. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."

"Why don't you invite her to the game today?"

"I couldn't do that because there will be no game today. If your aunt hears that I let you play in your condition…"

"She'll say thank you for listening to her wonderful niece."

"No, she'll slaughter me and incorporate my body parts into her hot chocolate ingredients."

"Oh, please? She's almost always been to all my games! And it'll be nice!"

"Well… I'll tell her about it…"

"And bring her."

"And uh… well… I will try to send an owl to Mike about what he's done…"

"No."

"Because that really was quite cruel of him."

"No, I don't need his sympathy or anything. He'll be needing _my _sympathy if I don't play the game today."

"Well then, take a break, Weasley."

"Thanks, professor."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"It's been too long, Weasley; I almost even missed you." Draco said, smirking, entering the shop.

"Oh, why, don't you flatter me now. What do you want?"

"The house-elves are incredibly puzzled at how quickly the coffee is going even though they even out proportions everyday."

Ginny blushed slightly. "Ah, I see."

"Basically, your niece and nephew are living it up in the kitchens so now we need a new stock."

"Well, I can't help you there, professor Malfoy."

"Yes you can. I'm here to order for another supply of coffee."

"No, it's just that I was actually just heading out to fill my own inventory."

"Oh."

"Yes, you've caught me at a bad time."

"Oh."

"But I will owl or something once I've got a new stock."

"Oh."

"Unless… you can accompany me." Ginny said slowly, automatically regretting it.

"That sounds splendid." Draco said, beaming.

Ginny put her apron down and disappeared for a few moments behind the curtain, retrieving her purse. "I can't believe you're following me there."

"A man should never be given too much time. Shall we?"

"You really shouldn't."

"And why?"

"For many reasons! Don't you have students to teach? Don't you have things to do?"

"Nope."

"What kind of professor are you?!"

"A bored one. Would you also like to accompany me to a Quidditch game later this afternoon? Your charming niece made it very clear that she will be ghastly disappointed if you were not there."

"Gaby? Well, of course, then, I shall. Who's she playing?"

"Hufflepuff. Her own boyfriend. Even more the reason to play even if she's sick."

"She's sick?"

"Yes, she seemed to have a cold when she came to see me. Very pale. But be assured, I've sent her to Madame Pomfrey's in one piece so if we shall…" Draco said quickly, opening the door to her shop. "Where we going anyways?"

"That is a secret."

"Now, now, there are never secrets between us."

"There are only secrets between us, Malfoy. For one, I don't know anything about you at all."

"Ah, well, it didn't feel like it."

"It's the truth. Take my arm."

Draco gave her a bewildered look. "Why?"

"Are you coming or not? Or I suppose you can make it to another country without me?"

Understanding, Draco placed his hand on her forearm and the air constricted for a few moments before he landed again on his feet.

"Where is this place?"

"Egypt."

"Egypt?!"

"The twins' parents live here. Before I started the shop, I lived with them here for about a year. Not like they grow coffee beans here but there are a lot more imports here than in London. When I moved back to London, I took the coffee back with me and I've been coming here ever since. Usually, though, when the twins are not at school, they come here for a while to live with their parents and they come back with the coffee. But since they're at school now, I've got to make the trip here every month."

Draco smirked. "I don't know, Weasley. Sounds just like a big excuse to see your brother."

"That's true too. But hey, while I'm at it, it doesn't hurt to do some business. Let's go."

"So are we going to go meet your brother now?"

"We would but since you've been _so keen_ to come…" she said sarcastically.

"I wouldn't mind. I have all day."

"No, no, it's fine. We've got to hurry to see the game anyways."

"Well, then, show me the way."

Ginny led him toward the busy market that she had apparated them to. There were so many people bustling about but outside the market was just the vast and empty countryside. There were hundreds of tents all lined in rows, selling anything from food to jewelry to voodoo dolls.

(A/N: okay. I don't know anything about Egypt. I don't know if they even have coffee there. But hey, guys, for the sake of the story, aiite:D)

"Come on, Malfoy! We don't have all day, you know."

Completely in a daze of all the hustle and bustle around him, and the brilliant fanfare of colors and dizzy array of yelling and bargaining, Draco tagged along behind Ginny, following the trail she left behind with baggy boy-jeans and bags of spices.

"Here we are… heaven…"

Draco could have smelled it from a mile away. In this grand bazaar, one entire aisle was dedicated to coffee. There were imports from all over the world, coffee from Peru or Columbia, or tea from India or China. The smell was intoxicating, and Draco continued to follow Ginny in a natural high.

Draco stopped next to Ginny at one stop, a few booths away from the end.

"Ginny!"

"Hello! I'm here for a new stock." Ginny said cheerfully at the middle aged woman.

"Why of course… regular amount?"

"Yes please."

"Who's this young lad with you today? Has Jake finally come out of his shell?"

"No, this is Draco Malfoy."

"Draco Malfoy?!" The woman suddenly exclaimed, turning to look at Draco even more closely. "I should have known! Such a great looking fella like him… Where is that wretched girl… Sabria! Sabria! Look who's here!" The old woman screamed toward the back, behind a ratty curtain. A young woman in her early 20's came out, disgruntled and cross but her face immediately fell in awe at Draco's presence.

"OH MY GOODNESS IT'S DRACO MALFOY!" The woman, Sabria, screamed, dozens of heads turning.

Draco smiled thinly, suddenly nervous at all the eyes at him.

It began very slowly, starting with just one sole click. Then, there was chaos, and sooner or later, everyone was jumping at Draco and Ginny, trying to get pictures or at least touch Draco Malfoy.

Draco quickly grabbed the sack that the woman had laid out over the counter, grabbed Ginny's hand and ran. He realized that he had never been to this marketplace before and should not have been the one leading the two of them in running away from the cameras and screaming fan-girls. But there was nothing they could do in their situation as Draco maneuvered them around in random paths and sharp turns.

He was completely lost until Ginny exclaimed "Over here!" as they rounded some corner and Ginny pointed at a very narrow alleyway. Obediently, Draco led them into it, crouching down. Draco shoved a handful of coffee beans in Ginny's mouth and covered it. He heard footsteps coming toward them, his heartbeat stopped for a moment, and then relaxed as the footsteps faded away into the distance. He leaned his head back and sighed heavily.

"I'm way too good looking for this country."

Draco turned head to the right and snorted. Ginny was sitting, facing him cross legged and with an irritated look on her face, her entire mouth bloated with pure coffee beans stuffed in her mouth. Ginny took his hand and held it out open in front of her and then spat out all the beans into his hand, a look of pure disgust on both of their faces.

"That is just _repulsive_!" Draco exclaimed, throwing the goop of a few crushed beans and saliva away and staring at his sticky hands with much aversion.

"You know what's repulsive? Espresso beans down your throat. I love coffee and coffee is my life but _nobody _wants twenty servings of espresso at once in your mouth."

Draco chuckled, washing off his hand with his wand. "How'd it taste?"

"How do you think it tasted?"

"Very… coffee-ish?"

Ginny shook her head. "It's like eating bitter, fertilized dirt with crushed pebbles."

"Oh, please, it can't be that bad. And nobody told you that you had to eat it."

"You shoved it in my mouth! I was about to say something but my mouth bit down on…"

The next thing she knew, Draco was kissing her, his hand at the nape of her neck, his thumb caressing her cheek softly; he letting her mouth part as his tongue so expertly grazed hers, probing, tasting her entire mouth with excruciating delicacy. She could feel his heavy breathing and his fingers placed so gingerly around her that she felt safe and melting like chocolate into a mug of espresso. His kiss, strong and persistent, warm and embracing… made her feel so secure with his lips, as if she could tiptoe on the edge of a cliff but kiss him for eternity.

For a moment, Jake's head rolled by her eyes, taunting and haunting her moment in bliss. Would this kiss count as cheating? Suddenly, there was guilt. Bittersweetguilt, as if she would have much rather cheated on Jake by kissing Draco Malfoy than any other way possible to cheat on him.

But then again, it was not she who initiated the kiss. She had been forced into it almost, and it had come so abruptly that she had no time to fight it. Her conscious tore at her insides, but her body would not react to her mind and she felt herself falling deeper and deeper into Draco's lips. She was almost disappointed when he let go, both of them gasping for air.

He took out his hankerchief from the innermost pocket of his robes and dabbed her lips with the silver cloth. "You whine way too much. I thought that tasted beautiful." Draco said breathlessly, an unsure grin rising in his face.

Ginny's visage changed and she looked up at him sharply. "I don't know where you got the idea, Mr. Malfoy, but you cannot just go around kissing me. No matter how much you disapprove of Jake, I am…"

"Taken. I know. I know and I apologize."

She was turning red now and she tried so hard to replace her overwhelmed reaction with anger. "That was just… _low_! How could you do that?"

"I don't know. It was one of those spur-of-the-moment… moments… trust me; I don't go kissing tied down women as a habit. But it's just… look, I'm sorry, okay? It just happened on a whim and… I apologize." Draco said quickly, standing up.

Ginny stood up too, grabbing the sacks, speechless, and began to walk away, out of the alley.

"Weasley." Draco called out after her, following her.

She kept walking, although she wasn't sure where, but had an idea that her legs were taking her back to the entrance of the marketplace.

"Weasley, wait up."

Instead, Ginny picked up her pace, afraid of what cruel adultery she would commit if she were ever to see Draco Malfoy again…

OO

"Hey guys." Mike jogged up to the Gryffindor entrance where most of the team was stretching.

"Hey, Mikey. How's it going?" Leslie, one of the chasers, asked, bending over her outstretched leg.

"Excited for the big game? Where's Gaby?"

"She ran back to the locker room a few minutes ago… said she had to get something."

Mike frowned. "Doesn't the game start in… five minutes?"

Leslie looked at her watch. "It does, huh. Then maybe we should go fetch her or something…"

"Oh, no, then I'll go get her. You guys keep warming up."

Mike waved and headed back to the locker room. He had just received an owl from Professor Malfoy about Gaby and as he drew closer to the locker room door, he grew tenser, nervous, and unsure of what to say or how to hold himself.

"Gaby…?" He asked tenderly as he opened the door.

There was no response. Mike entered the room, and found it completely deserted.

"Gaby?"

There was a barely audible whimper from behind one of the changing curtains. Dropping his bag, Mike quickly slashed open each one, seeing only empty stalls with a change of clothing in them. At the second to last stall, he found her, slumped on the ground, crouched in a fetal position.

"Gaby! What happened? What are you doing? The game starts in five minutes!"

She lifted her head barely, her bloodshot eyes looking up at him with so much evident pain.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah."

She was shaking uncontrollably. Her black spandex shorts stuck to her sweaty body and her Quidditch jersey was drenched with warm sweat. At one touch of her arm, Mike could feel her burning, her fever apparent in her flamed face.

"Merlins, you're sick! I'll take you to Madame Pomfrey's."

"NO." She croaked out.

"There's no way you can play like this, Gaby. You'll pass out the moment you stand up!"

Mike wrapped her arm around his neck and tried to hold her up but she whipped her arm away and fell back to the ground.

"I-I'll be o-o-okay. L-leave me alone." She shuddered.

"I can't let you play like this, Gaby. I'm sure your team will understand."

"NO!"

"Let me just take you to Madame Pomfrey." Mike said urgently.

"The g-game. I need to g-get to the g-game."

"There's no way you're going to the game in this condition. Come on. Get on me."

"I h-h-have to go. Let me go." A chill ran through her spin, making her shiver even harder.

"Nobody is making you go except yourself. I'll take you to the hospital wing." Mike tried putting her arm around his neck again, but she went ballistic at his touch.

"NO! N-NO! LET ME GO- LET ME…"

Suddenly, the heated energy she was spending to fight off Mike disappeared and her arms went limp. She gave Mike one, shuddering, bleary gaze, before falling into a heap of feverish red.

Mike, reacted instantly, taking her arms around his neck and stood up, carrying the girl on his back. She was burning; he could feel her sweaty hair on his neck as he ran out of the room, meeting her agitated team mates.

"What's going o- oh my goodness." Leslie gasped.

"Postpone the game. She's passed out." Mike muttered as he ran by her teammates.

The world around him as he ran was a blur now. He could not see the crowd's reaction to the unconscious girl and could only hear wild whispering as he ran up the flight of stairs to the hospital wing. He was surprised that he had not accidentally fallen through a trick step or such, but did not ponder to give himself a pat on the back. He remembered the owl that Professor Malfoy had sent while the professor was on his errand and realized that he was to blame for Gaby's condition. Truly and one hundred percent to blame. The view in front of him became a haze through the guilty tears that formed in his eyes.

He reached the hospital wing, ran by Madame Pomfrey's questioning look and placed her on one of the beds, collapsing in a blabbering mess beside her bed.

OO

Ahh, another chapter come and gone.

I realized that my chapters really are getting longer and longer. This was peaking at a bit past 6000 before I decided to cut it down. I think after the banquet chapter, my writing capacity has widened a bit. I've never written chapters longer than 4000 before, or not usually, but this story is a story of many firsts for me.

Anyways,

FINALLY! A DRACO-GINNY KISS! I'm sorry, but I'm dreadful with kiss scenes. So you didn't get much of the explicit details but hey, a kiss is a kiss.

And I know, of course… you all miss Jake just _soooo muuuucchhhh _but I'm thinking he'll make an appearance sometime soon. Mahhh

Yeah. Anyways, I don't think a lot of you were able to infer from the previous chapter about what happened with Spence and Ophelia. I tried to make it as ambiguous as possible but yeah. If reading about it totally shocked you, yeah. Sorry about that. Here's their incredibly vague "sex scene" (previous chapter):

"Spencer slid his hand up her bare, shivering arm, and brought it to her chin, lifting it slightly. He stepped forward, the wall between them obliterating, and his entire body engulfed her, her lips warm yet trembling, her skin soft yet throbbing, and her body, dainty, weightless, and bare, yet beautiful against his."

Yeah. So before things get awkward… moving on! Forward ho!

This is turning into a drama. It's like, I imagine this being a soap opera of some sort. And there's more yet to come, but for you all wonderful readers, I'll try to keep it as light and fluffy as possible:D

So I'll try to leave this dismal author's note on a happy note:

Well, I can't promise anything, but I'm excited for the next chapter! A lot of stuff I cut out from this chapter will be incorporated into the next chapter so keep fingers locked, your patience and your love for this story as fresh as possible and please please review because nothing gets be off my ass better than any kind of review from any one of you!

Adieu!

-me me me me me

(PS: here's the real happy note: haven't had enough snogging so far in this story? Stay tuned for more next chapter!)

Espresso Forte®

_stout body and thick, creamy consistency enveloping a tangy core of pure coffee essence. Espresso Forte is the first blend we created specifically with espresso in mind, with flavors that are abundant, bold, and robust. Its name connotes both strength and its special aptitude for the most demanding method of preparation. Espresso Forte strikes the right balance between the earthy satisfaction of Indonesia and Papua coffee and the brightness and spiciness that are characteristic of the Americas. While it reveals its best attributes using traditional espresso preparation methods, it also makes a good cup from a press pot or cone filter._


	9. Sumatra

Ginny Weasley had been through it all. Raised with six brothers, being possessed by Lord Voldemort at a fragile age of 11, her father being fatally bitten by Voldemort's snake, her favorite brother becoming a werewolf, dating the boy-who-lived, the death of a brother, having a French blondie married into the family, becoming the guardian and aunt of twins, starting the coffee-shop and then getting twisted and strangled into an exasperating relationship with the Wizarding World's coverboy, Jake.

But there her problem lies. Perfect Jake. Jake who fell in love with Ginny the moment he saw her, the naïve, and passionate boy, groomed with riches and showered with love and polished with power. He was only one year prime of Ginny but she felt as if he was a five year old fan boy, desperately and blindly in love, and youthfully full of zeal and compassion for Ginny.

His love for Ginny inundated over her, and she found herself wrapped up in the effervescence of Jake's passions. He had given her all the raw love he had, for she was his first love and as this boy foolishly hoped, his last.

And right as Ginny found herself falling in love with this boy, he had left, rather abruptly, pushed by his father to avoid a scandal.

It was then, at the nadir of Ginny's depression period, that she met Draco Malfoy.

If he had run out of her store, never to return to the "bood-traitor's" coffee shop, then Ginny's predicament would have been nonexistent. However, he had learned her name, walked out, only to walk in again, her coffee and medicine becoming a drug for him. And as little as she liked to admit, his presence became a common habit of hers. He put her name aside and she put their past aside and he became a regular, almost a friend.

A philandering, sarcastic, sardonically flirty bastard; she was rather amused by it. He was an older, wiser version of Jake, wittier and much more pessimistic than perfect Jake would ever fear of becoming. He knew the negativities of life unlike Jake who grew up without a single failure. Draco had fallen into the depth of Kafkaesque, morbid cruelty, maybe even surpassing the unspeakable experiences of Ginny. He had taken all the wrong steps in his path, was never loved, and had never loved in return. A veteran of all the terrors and horrors life had to offer, Draco Malfoy walked into Serendipity, whose blackest of bitter coffee saved his blackest of bitter life.

Now she knew what drew her to Draco Malfoy so much even with her perfect boyfriend relentlessly by her side. They had only one thing that revived them and had kept them alive, and this was something she knew would chain them to each other in this twisted mutually parasitic relationship: coffee.

And not to mention, that he was by far the sexiest man she had ever had the great fortune to encounter.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Dis is ridiculous! My only girl! How could you all let her go out when she iz dis sick?"

"We're very sorry, Mrs. Weasley. But I had clearly discouraged Miss Weasley's participation in the game and had instructed her to see Madame Pomfrey. Nobody forced Gabrielle Weasley into playing in the game." Draco apologized, for the umpteenth time, his cheeks flushing pink with frustration.

"And I will not allow such ruckus noise in _my _hospitality, Mrs. Weasley," Madame Pomfrey stated, red in the face, furious from the wild commotion that Feur Delacour, I mean Weasley, was stirring.

"Yes, honey, calm down. Look, Gaby's fine now. She's resting." Bill said, sitting his beloved wife Fleur on the chair next to Gaby's bed.

"Or at least trying to." Ginny muttered, barely audibly. Next to her, Spencer and Draco sniggered, receiving dark looks from Bill.

"I just cannot accept dis! If something bad happens to Gaby…"

"What more could happen? She went unconscious but she's sleeping now. Unless her eardrums get popped out while she's lying here, I'm sure she'll be up and running by tomorrow, unfortunately." Spencer grumbled.

"Do you not worry about your own sister?"

"Of course I worry. I worry 24/7, everywhere I go, wherever I am. But do you see me bouncing off the walls just because Gaby's got herself in a hospital bed for the, what, hundredth time in this school? One more injury and she might just break the school record! You can't just come rushing in here, blabbering and making such a racket every time she hurts herself!"

Fleur, rendered speechless, pretended that she didn't hear him and went on sobbing uncontrollably all over Gaby's bed.

"I will have order in my hospital wing!" Madame Pomfrey repeated furiously.

"Oh, leave her be. She's French and emotional." Ginny said.

"Gin, please." Bill said, earning sympathy from Ginny with his tired voice.

They sighed in collective silence and stood around, watching Fleur in hysterics over her tiny, pale daughter.

Professor McGonagall came in precisely at the right time before things got awkward and began business. "Now, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I will be needing a small talk in my office later. Professor Snape's potion is now ready so if I could have you, Mr. Malfoy and Miss Weasley retrieve that from his room that would be lovely. And Mrs. Weasley, I'm afraid the portraits outside are wondering if someone had died so please compose yourself."

Fleur sobered up and gave McGonagall a dirty look. She took the arm of her husband and they followed the professor out as Draco followed Ginny out as well.

Spencer sighed and fell into the bed next to Gaby's finally at peace.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As if she had not encountered enough awkward moments in her life, Ginny wondered if this was Voldemort, coming back to life for revenge in form of the longest walk to the potions dungeon she had ever been forced into. She never would have thought a simple trip to the dungeon would be this mortifying.

And apparently, she was not alone.

"Weasley, if this goes on for another second, I might as well just kill myself."

"I, Mr. Malfoy, have no idea what you are speaking of. But nonetheless, go ahead. Nobody's stopping you."

"Can I at least try to apologize?"

"Apologize for what?"

"You know… the whole Egypt, coffee, snog…"

Ginny whipped around, a blazing look on her face. "For your information, Mr. Malfoy, _nothing happened_."

He rolled his eyes. "Well of course nothing happened. But the truth is that something did happen and even if we say it didn't, it did and we need to be able to accept the fact that it didn't not happen."

Ginny gaped blankly.

"What?"

"What I mean is, normally, I wouldn't get all fussy wussy about a small snog but you're being so… frigid about it. And I just feel I have to patch things up between us."

"There's nothing to patch up."

"I know you're dating your coverboy boyfriend. I know that you two are foolishly lovebirds, etcetera, etcetera, and I would be a pathetic, undignified man to rip a couple apart. And I could easily erase everything from my memory, no matter how hard it would be, but you've got to stop acting like a bloody… just stop!"

"Fine. Fine. Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. Not a single bloody thing. Now what do you want."

"Well, if you ask it so vaguely, there are many things I want, Weasley." He drawled, a playful smirk playing at his lips. Oh, those lips of God.

Ginny stopped abruptly outside the door, almost missing it as Draco skidded to a halt right behind her. Ginny sighed and pushed into the bleak classroom

"Hello?" She asked hesitantly around the empty classroom.

"Professor Snape?"

"Is he not in?"

"Maybe. He might have gone to the hospital wing himself."

"Oh, bloody fucking hell."

"Now, was there a need for profanity?"

"I bloody walked all the way here for the damn potion and oh great. There was no point of nearly wanting to throw myself out the window…"

"Goodness, Weasley, it's not a big problem. We'll just head back…"

"No, it's not that simple. Jake and I have been through the worst together. He does not deserve to be tossed around like this. He loves me more than I could possibly offer him and it's just not fair!"

"I thought nothing happened, Weasley."

"Well of course we can say that all we want but we both know damn well that something did happen and I'm not going to lie to him. He might be the ruddiest boyfriend ever but he's been so, completely devoted the whole time. I can't believe myself to fall into your bloody seduction."

"Oh, I'm sorry?"

"Yeah! That's right; you kissed _me_. Did I ask for it? How dare you? You're despicable and dirty, kissing an unavailable woman like that. How could you? Do you feel no shame at all?"

"Do you think I make it a habit to do this? I slipped once. It happened and I'm sorry and it won't happen again. People make mistakes. Now, I could escort you back to the hospital wing or not, but I believe this is the end of the conversation."

"No. It's not."

"Oh, please, Weasley, you're not making anything better. It's one kiss. It's not going to ruin your life forever, okay? If you really love your wonderful Jake, this shouldn't be tripping you up so much."

"Are you accusing me of not loving Jake?"

"I am accusing you of nothing."

"Because I love Jake. Jake and I have been through too much… something like this shouldn't be able to break us apart."

"Fantastic! Then I believe this subject is over and was over, as it was before we even got here. I apologize again, but I hope you are really able to leave this to rest. I don't feel I should ever have a need to repent for my mistake again after we have specifically decided to put it behind us and treat it as if it never happened."

"And how the bloody hell do you think that could possibly work? When I'm supposed to be so in love with Jake yet the only thing that's on my mind is snogging you."

In one fluid step, Draco was a mere hairline away from her, and he could feel her quivering breath on his neck. He leaned in towards her, only to be immobilized by her words before. He could not kiss her now, again. Things have already been exacerbated to the point of doubtful revival but he knew the moment he kissed her again, all would be lost. He could block all thoughts of one incredible snog in an alleyway of Egypt, exchanging the deepest of espresso beans, but erasing another would be a virtually impossible task for him.

Draco turned abruptly away and strode over to the door, opening it slowly. After a few deathly silent moments passed, Ginny was finally able to pick up her feet and made it to the door, nodding slightly on the way out. She took two steps out of the classroom where Draco heaved a sigh and prepared to follow her out but could not move. She turned around, questioningly with a slight frown on her face.

He gazed intently at her face, not knowing at exactly what, but he took in every tiny detail, every eyelash, every freckle. Never had he been so tied up with a woman, so wound, so twisted… perhaps she had put a spell on him, that evil vixen.

It was all or none and all was already lost.

Draco instead grabbed her wrist, dragging her back into the classroom. She lost footing and swayed, but he had already pulled her into his arm, slammed the door shut, and pushed her against the hard, wooden door, his lips immediately molding into hers.

She reacted almost immediately, too caught up in the heat of the moment, forgot completely about Jake, and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him down closer to her as his hand slid down to her hips. She was pressed up against him, mouths scouring each other. His tongue made quick caresses mirroring those of his hands at the small of her back, and every contact point felt as if it was on fire.

Her hands betrayed her when they nudged his black robes to the ground. His breath quickened in surprise and responded by broadening the strokes of his tongue. She softened beneath him, sighing into his breaths. He was everywhere, feeling everywhere. Whatever distance had been between them had closed. Not a single beat passed in which they broke contact.

Desperately, he rained his kisses down her collarbone, hot and searing her bare skin, burning every square millimeter of her. She thrust her head back, gasping, her back arching, bringing her body even closer to his, arousing him, and he bit reflexively at the nape of her neck.

"Wait, wait… Malfoy, wait, stop… STOP!"

He detached himself from her jawline and looked down, breathing heavily.

"We can't- what the hell are we doing?"

"I have no idea."

Ginny slipped her hands from his head and in return, he stepped back, his arms falling back to his sides. He brought a hand up to tame his immensely disheveled hair, and they both stood, rendered speechless.

"I have to tell Jake the truth."

"No you don't."

"I have to tell him."

"There's nothing to tell."

Ginny looked up, her eyes no longer dazed. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yes."

Ginny nodded slowly, turning at her feet. Draco wiped the sweat off his face with his hand, feeling the hot air breath out of his nose.

"No."

Before he knew even what he was doing, he held her up by her waist, her legs wrapping themselves around his hips, and he carried her to the nearest desk, his fingers tenderly stroking her soft cheeks. She sat at the edge of the desk, and his arms were on either side of her, leaning forward on the desk, forcing her incline down to the surface. In the millimeter between them, they breathed and sighed into the same, sweaty air. But before he could reattach himself to her bruised lips, the door swung open and Professor Snape stalked in, either furious or livid, they're both the same word.

"Out. Out. Out now."

"Sorry, Professor."

"Out."

"I'm really sorry. We didn't mean for this to happen and all. We just came down to retrieve…"

"GET OUT!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day, Draco entered the hospital wing with two books in his hand and a disgruntled look on his face. Spencer looked up and nodded.

"Good morning, Professor."

"I have the books Flitwick wanted to give you."

"Thank you. Would you like a drink?"

"Whiskey would be nice."

Spencer chuckled and headed over to the office while Draco plopped down on bed next to Gaby's. Spence came back with an ice coffee in hand which Draco grabbed and swallowed down in one.

"That's not water, you know, Professor." Gaby's voice perked.

Draco spat out all the liquid in his mouth, feeling it go up his nasal passage as well and he looked down at the girl on the bed, a wicked grin on her face.

"You're up!"

"Yes, she's been up all morning." Spence said, a clearly cross countenance (A:N/ ALLITERATION!) etched on his face.

"Oh, please, you know you've never had more fun in your life than two hours with your favorite sister. How'd your date go, professor?"

Spencer frowned. "Date?"

"It was okay. Thank you very much for asking." Draco mumbled, flashing a warning.

"Is she still with Jake?" Gaby asked testily.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"What date?" Spencer asked, louder.

"Professor went on a date with auntie yesterday."

He gaped at his professor. "Oh! No wonder! I thought something smelled a little fishy in here all yesterday. And when you came back alone after going to the dungeons with Aunt Gaby…"

"So… professor… what's the verdict?"

"That is none of your business."

"She's our aunt! Nobody can see her without our permission… which reminds me is another reason why we hate Jakie Wakie." Gaby's nose scrunched up at the thought of Jake.

Draco sighed and put his glass down. "Well I don't know so much if she would see me. She's so up in her head with commitment with our dear coverboy."

"But you want to, right?"

One perfectly arched eyebrow shot up. "Do I want to?"

"We asked you that!"

"Do I want to, eh?"

"Okay, now you're just avoiding the question." Spencer said, frustration lining his voice.

Draco shook his head. "No, the question is this: Why would you two rather have me date your aunt than Jake Diggory? I've been with more women in my life than he had ever fantasized about. I'm the one with commitment issues and the lack of knowledge on how to treat a woman right. Jake Diggory is the one who would buy your aunt flowers and chocolates and diamonds."

"Which is exactly why he doesn't deserve her."

"Even if I wanted to be, I could never be with your aunt for longer than a week or two. And then I might sleep with her and it would be over. That's how Draco Malfoy works. I sleep with rich, blonde, powerful bimbo daughters. Not people like your aunt who obviously deserve far better treatment than that, and from what I see, Jake Diggory can deliver."

"At least you're not ashamed of her."

Gaby sighed. "And goodness gracious, I have to admit, she hasn't been hot and heavy for a hard on for quite some time." (A/N: MORE ALLITERATIONS… WOW. I'M NOT EVEN MEANING TO DO THEM EITHER.)

"Gaby that was the most unnecessarily repulsive thing I've ever heard you say."

"Why, Spence? You know it's true. Even you've been at it more than she has the past year… or week…"

"GABY!"

"Whoops."

Draco chuckled. "No need to try to keep it from me. I knew something happened the moment I saw you and Miss Amoretti the day after… or shall I say… not see you and Miss Amoretti the day after."

Spencer scowled. "It was a bloody drunken mistake."

"That you were such an ass about." Gaby muttered loudly.

Draco nodded. "You just can't do that to a woman, no matter how promiscuous or provocative she may seem."

The twins looked at Draco blankly.

"You're one to talk, mister, "I sleep with rich, blonde, powerful bimbo daughters.""

"I know I am not the one who should be chiding you on this subject matter, but it's only because you remind me so much of myself… at least physically, and I would hate to see you end up like me. I wondered what exactly happened that made Ophelia… well…"

Spencer frowned. "Like what?"

"Well she's sort of distanced herself."

"What do you mean?"

"Actually showing up to prefect duties, meetings with me, doing all her work… mind you, she was an incredibly bright witch who never did her homework before you… well… _broke her heart_. I hope you feel ashamed of yourself. You sit there, the same man, as if nothing happened but she's beating herself to death. You're a horrible, horrible boy, Spencer Weasley. I had better hopes of you."

"Yeah? Well, can't I say the same about you? What really happened with our aunt? You can't act as if nothing happened, professor. We're not retarded."

"Because nothing really did happen."

Spencer gawked at his professor. "Wow. I don't believe it. You're whipped."

"I'm what?"

"You're whipped."

"I am not… whipped."

"Professor Malfoy, you are very much whipped," Gaby stated, as if it resolved the argument.

"I am… no such thing…"

"You _looooove _our aunt. You _looooooooove _her!"

"What?!"

"You don't want to hurt her so you're trying to hide everything that happened. You can't hide anything, professor." Gaby slammed the Daily Prophet in her hand on the table beside her bed, causing Draco to jump up. She nudged at the page.

**The most sought after single bachelor… no longer single?**

Below the smashing headlines was a grand picture of Draco and Ginny, hand in hand, running from the frenzied fans and paparazzi.

"Potter is taking over the ministry and yet the headline news is this trash?"

"Tell us exactly what happened."

"Whatever happened, I am not… 'whipped.'"

"We'll be the judge of that."

He sighed, surrendering. "It was one kiss. In an alleyway while hiding from these mad people. You know sometimes, claustrophobia can lead you to be delusional and do things without meaning to. And she wasn't shutting up at all about how bitter the coffee beans were in her mouth."

"And?"

"Nothing. Nothing happened."

Spencer rolled his eyes. "Oh please. There must be a reason why you came back from the dungeons, first off, without our aunt, and your eyes all bleared and clothes disheveled and the most repulsed look on Snape's face."

"I didn't know what I was doing, okay?!"

"He's whipped."

"Definitely whipped."

"Whipped like a chocolate sundae."

"I am not 'whipped' or whatever nonsense you children are pulling from your ass. But I'm not the one who sleeps with a girl, then calls her a slut and walks off. Or I don't sit here so peacefully when the poor guy who saved your life is preparing to avada himself if you refuse to talk to him again." Draco replied, frustrated, and stalked out of the hospital wing.

"What's he on about? Who wants to avada himself?" Gaby asked.

"Well, Mike found out you got sick and went down to the pitch to say sorry before your game but he found you practically unconscious and brought you here. I thought you remembered, though, but…"

"No, I didn't."

"Well, he's been pretty miserable. Looked like a total wreck when the rest of us got here. I guess he supposed it was his fault."

"Well… well, it was."

"You're just saying that now because you swore to yourself you'd blame it on him. But you know he's dead sorry and he didn't mean for anything like this to happen."

"Well what am I supposed to do about it?

"I don't know. What do we do?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Potions. Potions class never failed the thrill Ophelia Amoretti. She got goosebumps and adrenaline rushes from potions class.

In other words, she was suicidal. She leaned her head back in her chair. She was a sly, sexy Slytherin girl, nonetheless an effortlessly smart prefect, so what was there that Sevvie Snapie could possibly object about? She wasn't a know-it-all, nor a complete dunderhead, but she got things done efficiently and with no trouble in the classroom.

But when Spencer Weasley came bumbling into the classroom, making a beeline dash for the seat next to her, she knew she would have an interesting day.

He sat there, stiff and catching his breath for a moment while Ophelia looked at him, amused.

"Ophelia, I'm--"

Professor Snape slammed his books on his desk. "Class has started and I don't remember giving instructions to speak, Mr. Weasley."

Spencer shut up and sat obediently, his leg shaking.

"Phelia- I…"

"How many times must I repeat clear warnings, Mr. Weasley? If you have something so important to say to Miss Amoretti, take care of it after class."

"Yes, sir."

She could not help observe Spencer's restlessness; she had to admit, it was drop dead entertaining as hell. There were agitated creases along his flawless features and his eyes were obviously not focused on Professor Snape. When he finally listed the instructions for the… whatever it was potion they were making that day, Spencer drew out a long awaited sigh and turned to face Ophelia.

"Phelia, I'm an asshole."

"Dully noted."

"Shall I get the newt beans- stupid question; I'll get it." Spencer scrambled out of his seat to the supplies cabinet while Ophelia stayed behind, all her energy used to hold back her giggles of mirth.

"You crush the beans, I'll chop the tails." She said when he came back with the vials. He nodded and they went busily to work.

"Anyhow, I'm sorry. I don't know if it's too late for apologies or anything… but I'm so…"

"Bullshit!" Ophelia exclaimed suddenly.

Spencer stared and gulped. "What?"

She looked up and smiled. "Oh, no, go on, I dropped the tail end."

He cleared his throat and continued his well prepared speech. "Well, um… as I was saying… I'm rea- oh, please, now that's not fair." He stopped, as he saw her wipe away tears of which he soon realized were tears of joy.

She laughed. "I'm sorry, I just can't help it. You? Apologize? And when has the world come to an end?"

"It's not my fault! Yesterday Professor Malfoy was spewing this tale about how you were up in the corner of your room playing with mushrooms… oh, Merlins, I'm an idiot to believe him."

"Well, I have to admit, I have not laughed internally harder before than I have the past half an hour in this classroom."

He chuckled. "So… we're okay?"

"Well I don't know. You never know when I'll just go rush back into my room and grow all assortments of fungi but I'll think about it, yeah, thanks."

"How you mock me so."

"You've lost your sharpness, little boy. The old Spencer Weasley would have seen how amused I was by your fumbling and mumbling and whole apologizing attempt the second you walked in here."

"Yeah, well, I guess after a week or so without your furtive, devious ways, I lose my touch at catching those things."

"Ah, yes, maybe that is the reason."

Spencer sighed and tossed the crushed beans away to the side. "Anyways, I'm still an asshole and I really am sorry for what I said."

"You think a girl would still get caught up in stuff like that? I mean, if anyone, I should be the one apologizing. I overreacted."

"Are we friends?"

"No, Spencer Weasley, we are the worst of enemies."

"No, really. I kept telling myself the whole week that I should apologize… and then another side of me would say, 'apologize for what? What is there to patch up?' But there is, right? I mean, even if you don't want to be my friend, at least… we're acquaintances or something? Or…"

Ophelia gaped at Spencer and laughed. "Do you live in a hole, Spence? I always knew you were socially awkward but not to this extent. We're not toddlers. You don't have to go around asking if I'm your friend or not. You're about ten years too old for that."

"Well, what else am I supposed to do?"

"Spence… we're friends."

"Okay. Just making sure."

"Social recluse." She said, throwing a skewt bone at him, hitting him square in his right cheek. It left a red stain.

Spencer turned slowly on his feet and looked at her.

"Now that was completely unnecessary."

Spencer grabbed a few bean peels from the end of the table and stuck it up her left nostril. She shrieked in surprise.

"Detention! To think two prefects in this school would display such childish behavior… unacceptable!" Professor Snaped barked.

The two prefects bowed their heads down and resumed… 'work.'

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Look who's come out of his shell."

Mike chuckled, sitting beside her. "How you feeling, ace?"

Gaby shrugged and sat up in her bed. "I've had better days."

"Shouldn't you be sleeping? It's two in the morning."

"Why would you be here if I was sleeping? That's a scary thought now. Stalking me?"

"I wasn't sure what you'd do if you actually saw me…"

"Why- oh right. I forgot for a bit. I hate you."

"Now, Miss Weasley, that's not nice."

"You're a bastard. You ignore me for a week, then ditch tutoring, get me sick and make me lose the game."

"Correction: postpone the game."

"Either way, Caleb Libby comes in here gloating."

"Did he really?"

"No, but I could see it in his eyes. No matter. I broke it off anyways."

"For what reason?"

"I realized it's not a wise idea dating someone from another house during Quidditch season, nonetheless, someone on the Quidditch team."

Mike chuckled. "And ever so insightful you are."

"So what is your business here? I hate you, remember?"

"I came to apologize. But I didn't think you'd be awake so I didn't get to prepare but…"

"Oh just do the deeds and hop into bed, young sir."

"Gaby I am really sorry. I am sorry to the point of no return. I really did not mean to miss the tutoring and I especially did not mean for you to get sick and pass out and everything but I don't think I'm in the position to make excuses. I don't know what I can do to regain your trust and everything. I was just such a bastard after the banquet and I didn't mean half the things I said…"

"Only half?"

"I didn't mean most of what I said."

Gaby snorted. "What's the pitiful part you did mean?"

"That Caleb Libby is a dumb bloke?"

"Ah, I see, in that case, you're forgiven. Hop in, cowboy."

Mike frowned. "I can't do that."

"Oh come on, nobody's my friend until I've thoroughly cuddled and smothered you."

Mike sighed and lied down on her bed tentatively. Gaby thrust her arms and legs over him and stretched, her elbow at his neck and her leg across his stomach, making him go blue.

"You know, while I was passed out, I had a strange dream. A recollection, more like."

"Y-eah?" He choked out.

"Before the banquet… did you or did you not promise me that you'd tell me your real name if I got aced a defense against the darks test?"

"Now did I?"

"Absolutely. From now on, I don't think you can ditch out on any more tutoring sessions." She said, slyly.

"Sure… but it all depends on your performance during the sessions."

"We'll see. We'll see. I'll get to the bottom of your dirty little secret."

"I wish you the best of luck, then."

Gaby laughed out loud and promptly fell asleep, oblivious to how painfully she was suffocating Mike.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco wandered into Serendipity, almost as if he was lost, as if the world could not move any slower. He collapsed on a stool and slammed his head onto the counter.

"Mr. Malfoy," she said, tensely. "How can I help you?"

Draco looked up from the stool and ran his hands through his unkempt hair. "Apparently, I'm whipped."

"Who told you that?"

"Your charming niece and nephew."

"I will never understand the new modern colloquial vernacular."

Draco shook his head. "I don't even know what it means to be whipped. But apparently, I'm whipped, and apparently, I'm whipped with you."

"Well, then, speaking of whipped, would you consider a whipped café con leche?"

"You know I would have anything you give me."

Moments later, a foaming cup of café con leche was sitting in front of him, waiting eagerly.

"Drink up."

But Draco instead pushed the mug aside and instead peered fixedly into her eyes. "I am not boyfriend material. I cannot be in a relationship with you… for many reasons. You know that, right?"

"Of course I know that."

"Then is this all the doings of one single kiss?"

"If you're talking about…"

"You love Jake Diggory and I love my nonexistent love life the way it is."

"But?"

"Do you not see what's happened to me?"

"Not quite."

"I have bags under my eyes. My hair won't stay put. We need to clean up our little mess, Weasley."

Ginny sighed. "I am ending things with Jake."

Draco's eyes perked up. "You are?"

"There's even news about us now. He's bound to know and even so…"

"You can't break up with him!"

She frowned. "I thought…"

"You can't break up with Diggory."

"Why?"

"Because! You break up with him and fall into bachelorette mode and then nothing would stop me from wanting you more and you can already see how you are so unhealthy for my complexion."

"Excuse me?! You can't tell me what to do and not to do just because you're afraid of blemishing." Ginny outraged.

"No, Weasley, you don't get it. If you do this, you'll be breaking the norm."

"What, the norm being that I keep dating a man who I don't even love anymore and continue cheating on him mentally every time you walk in here with your eyes screaming desire and eyeing each other's lips? If you thought I was that kind of woman, you are terrifyingly wrong."

"You can't leave a man like Jake Diggory for someone like me."

"Ever so supercilious. Who said anything about breaking up with him to be with you? I can't stand myself in Jake and my relationship. I don't want to stay with him because no matter how much I try, I can't forget the infidelity we've done."

Before Draco could reply, however, the old, rotting door flung open, bearing the figure of Jake Diggory himself.

"Ginny. Let's get married."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I just got so tired, I got too lazy to fabricate and detail the dialogues and such. So towards the end, if you didn't notice, the sentence turn into simpleton, uncharacteristic, and bland statements but suck that and boo hoo.

Another 5000+ chapter come and gone. I can't believe how much I'm actually writing now. it seems like this 20 page chapter is a normal chapter length now and I worry for my sanity.

But then again, of course, you lovely readers keep me from that.

Anyways, if you're a horrible fanfic-reader like me and never really bother to read through long and tedious chapters, that's fine. But I really recommend the Spencer-Ophelia encounter. Because even I laughed out loud while writing it. Oh sometimes I can be just _so _clever hah. Hah. Hah. Hah.

I hate my writing style now. I really do. I just read the Scarlet Letter and Pride and Prejudice and now I write like a fucking poet- wannabe except the fact that Hawthorne can pull it off and obviously, I can't. I hate it! I really do. I adore this story but I really wish I would just settle down and find one type of style. Ah, well, I guess that's what fanfiction dot net is for and what YOU GUYS' REVIEWS ARE FOR.

Anyone try reading this whole story at once?

I did. And I was appalled. If you ever get bored and find too much time on your hands, go read some of the beginning chapters. Spencer is such a horny little boy but he's such a rigid stick now. So if you haven't noticed, he's a bit more chill now. I hope the character fluctuations is not too horrible.

Anyways. A lot of you have been tripping out because of Jake or Anna or Caleb. Well, Caleb got taken care of here, and Anna got taken care of in the first draft of this chapter (but I totally changed it so she's not even in it) and Jake is still here. Huh…

Huh…

Anyways, hope y'all liked the cliffhanger

And hope you guys review because you know that's the only thing keeping me into this loooooooooooooooong story now.

Some questions:

I NEED IDEAS FOR NEXT CHAPTER. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I WANT THEM TO DO NOW. SUGGESTIONS???

I love you all VERY much.

(p.s. I watched Bridget Jones's Diary recently. Hilarious. Highly recommend it. :D)

_**Sumatra**_

_Very full body, very concentrated flavor. Sweet, slightly earthy, herbal nuances with a gutsy richness. In the case of Sumatra, the flavors are sweet and somewhat earthy with pronounced herbal nuances. The complex flavors and full body brought out by Peet's roast make an exceptional cup. It's not the most refined or elegant coffee you can drink, but its gutsy and earthy richness is very seductive._


	10. Guatemala San Sebastian

I've decided to finish this story in another chapter or two or three. Probably 3. maybe 4 with an epilogue? I have no idea. I have no idea where this story will go (hell I don't even know how this chapter will go) but I've got some bittersweet feelings about this.

But for now, enjoy!

**(set like a month or so after)**

Study hall was never the same for Anna Jenkins.

Study hall used to be Mike and her, at the end table with everyone else scattered about the rest of the great hall, trekking over to the heads' table once in a while for help or with questions.

But now, Mike had dragged that Gabrielle Weasley to THEIR table, who had dragged her brother Spencer Weasley to THEIR table, who had dragged that promiscuous Ophelia Amoretti to THEIR table.

Not only study hall, it was the whole school in general that had gone up in chaos.

It started when the entire school was awoken by screaming in the infirmary, courtesy to Madame Pomfrey. The head boy and star quidditch player caught in bed together, and, to much of the school's disappointment, with all their clothing still intact. There were rumors flying, scandals, gossip, tall tales…

But Anna Jenkins could not believe such stories. Her knight in shining armor, HER Mike in bed with another girl? Never.

Yet no matter how much she denied any rumor, she could not deceive her own eyes. They were, after all, right in front of her. Laughing. Joking with all their inside jokes and flirty banter.

And furthermore, to exacerbate Anna's situation were Ophelia and Spencer. It was enough having one fiery addition to THEIR table, but that girl carried another two with her, saying she had never sat in a different table from her brother during study hall, that clingy bitch.

In some ways, Spencer and Ophelia's relationship was even worse than Mike and Gaby's. They claimed to be just friends but they were practically Siamese twins; inseparable. They did everything together, went everywhere together, and now studied everything together. Not only did they giggle about, cracking snide jokes like Mike and Gaby, they retired to the edge of the table, deep in conversation about matters Anna hoped never to discover.

Yes, the day had come when all could come to a bitter end in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And that day had come twice, thrice, and a few dozen times until Anna Jenkins finally realized that order must be found throughout the ancient halls again.

And here sets, a regular ritual. Mike reprimanding Gaby, Spencer buried into a book, and Ophelia nonchalantly flipping through the Daily Prophet next to Spencer. And Anna, having isolated herself from the group, at the edge of the table, a line of students waiting for assistance.

"Gaby, the Impediment is not for stunning people. That's Stupefy."

"Same effect."

"Same effect? You go into your OWL test and they ask you to stun a cat and you end up using the impediment. That is an automatic fail, Gaby."

"They make you stun animals? How could anyone dare abuse animals for some test?"

"It's called magic, Gaby. All spells always have a counter spell. Look into it. I'm sure it's somewhere on the first page of oh, maybe your first year book? Which reminds me that the tests not only test your ability on a spell, you must be able to perform a perfect counter spell."

"I shouldn't have said anything."

"If only you thought that more often." Spencer sighed, wistfully.

"Shut up! Don't you have homework to do?"

"Unlike you, I do not procrastinate and do my homework in advance." Spencer looked up and nodded at a fourth year brunette, who flitted up to the table with her Potions paper, a wide grin and an unnaturally quick set of eyelashes.

"Could you help me?" She asked, gazing intently at Spencer.

Mike turned in his seat and craned his neck to see her problem. "Oh, yeah, you've got Bo—"

"NO! I want _his _help." She screamed suddenly, her bright eyes squinting angrily at Mike. Her outburst had made him jump back a bit in his seat. The two girls snorted, putting down their papers and pens to enjoy the show. Mike patted him on the back and sat back with the girls.

With a cross look, Spencer motioned for the girl to come next to him, an offer that took no hesitation to accept.

"What is it you needed?"

"Just some help, if you don't mind. I don't understand this potion, you see."

"You know, Mike is a Potions genius." Spencer said, suggestively pointing at Mike.

"Oh, you're so modest!" The girl giggled, ignoring his very obvious hint to shut up.

"…Thank you. Now, about this potion…"

"Is there anything you _can't _do?"

"Get you off my back?" He said almost reflexively. Sometimes, quick wit could be a crime.

But the girl didn't understand what he meant, only catching the gist of a joke and laughed mirthfully. "Oh, I could laugh for ages with you. You have to come to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow!"

"Um, what was your name?"

"Marissa. But you can call me anything you like."

"Marissa, did you have a question about potions?"

"Oh, yes. I guess I got so distracted. Oh, you naughty boy… distracting a poor girl from her studies," Marissa giggled, her voice even a pith higher than before. Spencer looked at the other three for some help but found them with their fists in their mouths to keep from bursting.

"If you're not going to ask for help any time soon…"

"Okay, okay… party pooper." Marissa slapped him playfully on his arm, her incessant giggle never ceasing.

Spencer sighed exasperatedly and kicked Ophelia under the table. She looked up, her eyes teary with silent laughter. He gave her an excruciating glare until she nodded. Scooting closer to Spencer's side, she slung one hand on his left shoulder and the other on his chest, resting her head in the niche between his slender neck and shoulder.

Marissa froze, staring at Ophelia with shock, as if she just remembered that there were other people in the table. The girl cleared her throat, and Ophelia tore her eyes away to look the girl in the eye, smirking. She attached herself to Spencer's jaw, gently caressing the expanse of sensitive skin under his ear with her lips. Spencer flinched and Marissa fell silent, then promptly scrambled away and out of the Great Hall.

"Ophelia, that was completely unnecessary." Spencer said darkly as soon as Marissa was completely clear from vision.

"You needed help and look, it worked."

"You're a prefect! The poor girl's probably sobbing her eyes out now!"

"Oh, _Spencer_, you're _so modest_."

"Not only was it mean, it was inappropriate. Think of the example you're supposed to be setting!"

"Oh, please, Spence. We've fucked. The 'example' we're supposed to be setting is quite tainted already, don't you think?"

"Phelia!" Spencer said, hushed, glancing at Mike.

Mike grinned boyishly. "I heard nothing."

Spencer groaned and buried his face into his book. "Don't you have homework to do?!"

She laughed loudly. "Homework? What's that?"

"Yeah. Ophelia here is naturally smart. Not completely book smart like my geek tutor." Gaby sighed dramatically.

"At least I AM smart," Mike scoffed.

"At least I HAVE a life."

"At least I'll have a job when I graduate."

Spencer looked up, nodding in agreement. "He's got a point you know. The safest bet is to go with academics. What will you do if you dedicate all your school years to Quidditch? Teams rarely recruit straight from school."

"Fifth years are rarely made Quidditch captain. Face it bro, I am of a rare specimens."

Spencer snorted. "Rare specimens of air headed jocks."

"At least I'm fit and healthy. Sitting around studying all day does nothing but collect fat right around your midsection."

"You'd be surprised, actually," Ophelia said slowly, a wicked grin folding across her face. Spencer sharply turned, his eyes wide open and his head shaking warningly.

Gaby ignored her brother's obvious disapproval and inquired on. "How do you know?"

It was the glint in Ophelia's eyes that said it all.

"You REMEMBER?"

"Not really. Just parts." Spencer grumbled, his head colliding with the table once more.

"The best parts, too. Believe it or not, but this big boy here has—"

"Nobody cares what I have, Ophelia. Get to work."

"Oh, look who's Mr. Bashful. You should embrace your body more. Builds self-confidence, y'know?"

The group minus Spencer fell into fits of contagious laughter and couldn't stop until Professor Malfoy had to come down and bark, "Is this play time or study time?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Pssssst"

Gaby turned, wand out. It was one in the morning; way past curfew and the only people who would ever "psst" someone at the time was someone like Jeremy who found his victims at those raunchy times.

But it was only Professor Malfoy, his back pressed to the wall, beckoning Gaby.

"Isn't it past curfew, professor?"

"Can I ask you the same thing?"

"Deal. What is it?"

He put a finger to his lips and motioned for her to follow him. They backed up across the wall until the reached the corridor at the other end. As Gaby was just about to question why Professor Malfoy had dragged her there, she heard the softest of voices. It was barely a whisper yet Gaby could hear the intensity of the conversation.

"…what kind of mother are you? You can't make your daughter go through all those lengths just for some family name…"

"There is royal blood in your veins and yet you dare speak such crude words? Family must mean everything to you! Have I not raised you for 15 years to believe this?"

"Yes you have and to this day, you still think of me as an airheaded child who will blindly follow all your orders. Unlike you and the rest of the family you speak so highly of, I have a brain and by damn I know how to use it."

"Are you trying to break from your name? After everything you've been given? Normally you can't live this lavishly. You should be grateful. You should feel lucky. You know you can't go anywhere without the connections I have and your name."

"And how am I supposed to feel pride in such a name that is said provocatively? You're practically making me into a prostitute!"

There was a ripping slap and a bitter silence.

"It's tradition. It's in your blood. I lost my virginity when I was twelve and was married by the time I was your age. You were born as an Amoretti and there's nothing you can change about that. I raised you as a society woman, not a scholar. It's a privilege that I'm letting you stay in this school, hoping you'll at least make yourself a name here but you won't even do that. What happened? You were doing fine until you met that boy. And I stopped receiving letters from you professors, stopped hearing gossip about what you've been up to. And now you're what, the perfect student? It's great to be educated, Ophelia. Understand that I have nothing against intelligence. But at your age now, you need to start worrying about your social status. There is an empty seat waiting for you in society and you're keeping from it."

"I'm not keeping from anything, mother. I am keeping my virginity, if anything. You can't berate me for refusing to sleep with every male in this school to whore my way into that society."

"Are you really my daughter?"

"How do you expect me to make you my role model when you cheated on your husband four years after getting married to sleep with a 40 year old prince?"

With that, Draco dragged Ginny into the classroom they were crouching down by, which happened to be his classroom, and soundproofed it.

"That was…"

"Mrs. Amoretti. She came by to speak to me earlier today and I guess stuck around."

"And Ophelia?"

"Mrs. Amoretti frequently writes to check on the status of her daughter. When Ophelia found out about this, she begged us to write the most promiscuous stories, but I stopped for a few weeks to see what would happen and…"

"But why would… it sounded like Mrs. Amoretti was trying to…"

"Whore out her daughter? You heard it all. It's in the name. The Amoretti women are notorious for the immoral ways they have shoved themselves into the noble society. Blackmail, cheating… you name it. Yet they hold their name with such honor and dignity, one might often forget what an Amoretti is. And it doesn't help that they are one of the richest names in Italy."

"So what Ophelia said… she's a love child of the Italian king?"

"That's right."

"And she is… was a virgin all this time?"

"That's right."

"Why won't she tell her mom about Spence? Won't her mom get off her back about it a bit more?" Realizing that she had just spilled Spencer's secret again, and this time to a professor, she clapped her hand over her mouth, moaning.

Draco grinned and shook his head. "She probably did it to protect him. And don't think I didn't know already. I probably knew even before you brother told you."

"How much do you know?"

"You'd be surprised. I've always wondered how Dumbledore always knew who was going with who and who was sleeping with who, but when you sit at that table on top of the Great Hall, you just see it all. And if you're someone who gets as bored as I could get, you start planning."

"So what were you thinking?"

"This is where you come in. You might, oh, you know, accidentally just spill the beans about Ophelia. These things don't need planning. Everything eventually falls into place usually."

Gaby thought for a moment before snapping her fingers and looking up brightly. "We're having another ball."

"What?"

"The last one hooked them up. What harm could another one do? And besides, maybe this could be your chance to make a move on my aunt."

"Wait, now I'm lost. This has nothing to do with me."

"Oh, please, it's been almost a month since you came back from Aunt Ginny's store and told us that Diggory proposed. You look like utter shit. You haven't been back there yet, have you? You don't even know what she said to him, do you?"

"I-no. I don't." Draco cleared his throat and glanced around slyly. "Do- uh- do you?"

Gaby smirked. "And as if I did, I would tell you. That's for you to find out. It's time to stop wimping out and go get her. Do you want to sit there during her wedding and wonder why you never had the nerve to ask her to a stupid ball? I never thought you were this cowardly."

Draco frowned. "Ten points from Gryffindor! You can't call your professor a coward!"

"Oh, boohoo. Do we have a deal or not? I spill the beans on Ophelia and you get your rotting arse off your chair and face your bloody fears."

"Detention! Get out of my classroom."

"Deal or no deal?"

Draco hesitated for a moment before throwing a snitch at her, which she reflexively caught.

"Deal."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco hadn't ventured to Serendipity in the mornings, for he preferred his late night visits but insomnia had kept him awake and he had no choice but to grab his robe and trek down to Diagon Alley first thing in the morning.

He peeked in first, unsure of what to expect, checking if the coast was clear, which it was. The door creaked slightly as he opened it and shut with little significance.

"Weasley?" He whispered.

Moments later, she came out from the curtain, and nodded curtly in acknowledgement. He set down on his usual stool again.

"So this is the view of the shop in the morning, eh?"

"What are you doing?" She said crossly.

"I know I haven't been around for a bit…"

"4 weeks."

"I'm not normally a coward like this, Weasley. I need you to know that."

"Then why wait a whole month to finally show your face in my shop?" she said, angrily.

"I had to think."

"About what? All you had to do was ask me what happened. Or even better, you didn't even have to run out as soon as Jake came and stayed so I wouldn't have to face it myself."

"I'm sorry."

"This isn't something to be sorry for, Malfoy. I feel like I don't know you anymore. I've lost trust in you."

Draco rubbed his eyes, the stress of their predicament overbearing him. "I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do, Ginny."

At the sound of her name tenderly and desperately rolling off his tongue, Ginny's cold countenance softened slightly and she sighed exasperatedly. She was too tired to argue now. She had meant to block out Draco Malfoy if he ever came crawling back and for the past month, she had been brooding in her room, planning all ways to throw him out but now he was there and all she could think was how much she actually needed him.

"I was the one proposed to. Not you. You have nothing to decide."

"Well, first tell me, what happened?"

"He saw the news. Wants to save his ego."

"He proposed just to save his face?"

"That's what I've deduced. But think about it; he's saving both of us too. Everyone already suspects that Jake and I are in a relationship but after the picture of us got out, the story's been warped. He wants say we are engaged, call the picture fraud, and save all of our names. Think of the headlines, Draco. 'Minister's son's girlfriend runs off with ex-fugitive.' It'll be a mess."

"So you're going to marry him to prevent a little scandal?"

"What else can I do?"

"What did you say? Please tell me you said no."

"I said that I would think about it but there's not much time. News is going to be reeling again and this time with more. It's been a month of media tension."

"Do you have a choice?"

"This is marriage. Of course I have a choice. No matter how important it is, marriage is not a joke."

"So you have doubts."

"And would you be having a ball if I was to be married?"

"I'm not suited for you."

"Ever so bigheaded- I know that. I know that very well."

"I'm not ready for a kind of relationship you deserve but married…"

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you should go to the Winter Ball with me." Draco said, suddenly.

"The what?"

"Winter Ball. It was your dear niece's idea."

"I could be married!"

"Weasley, do you love that man?"

"I don't not love him."

"Just come to the ball with me. You were a superb dancing partner."

Ginny picked at her old, ratty dishrag, deep in contemplation. "I have a new cappuccino. Caramel cinnamon. Care for a bit?"

"Is that a yes?"

"Froth?"

"You know what I need, Weasley. Give me all you have."

"Froth it is."

"This man finally wants to go public with you after you go public with me. He tells himself how much he loves you as much as he tells you. He's young; he doesn't know what he's doing!" (A/N; props to reviewer, atriel for parts of this quote.)

"He's only one year younger than us."

"Fame and riches takes away another ten. I know from experience. Are you the only one who doesn't see that Jake Diggory is not in love with you but is in love with the idea of being in love with you? He only proposed because of some scandal and you said yourself that marriage is not a joke. I honestly don't know why you can't go to the ball with me. Just one silly dance, that's all. And then you can go run off and get married. I won't say a word."

"I _can't_."

"I will be waiting for you in front of the Great Hall. And you don't want to stand me up, now, do you?"

"And what if I do?"

"I pull my sad face and sing a sad tune." Draco said, pouting his lips and intensifying his large, puppy eyes.

Ginny threw her dishtowel at his face, laughing for the first time in weeks. And wished to believe that it was all back to normal again.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 

As soon as Draco returned, it was a few hours before lunch, and students were miling about ready for their Hogsmeade trip. Draco pushed by cozy couples and rowdy third years, until finally, he found his victim.

"Do you have a second, Mike?"

Mike nodded and followed Draco aside from the mob. "Yes?"

"I've decided to have a Winter Ball in a few weeks since December is just around the corner."

"Another ball?" Mike asked, his shoulder sagging.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I know it's a lot of work but I'll make sure you don't end up being in charge of all the details. Now, the main reason why I wanted to speak to you was because you need a date."

"A date."

"Last time, it wasn't required but many students did not show up because they did not have a date so I was thinking that maybe if the heads set an example of some sorts…"

"So basically you're telling me to go to the ball with Anna?"

Draco nodded, examining his reaction with a detailed mental analysis.

"I guess I could do that."

"You have no problem with it? Was there someone you wanted to ask? Because I guess we can't help it then, but you know the legend of the heads. They always hook up at least once in the year and I thought this just might be a good opportunity for it."

"Oh no it's total- i-it's fine."

"Great. Thanks a bunch Mike. You really are the best head boy our school has seen for ages. Since I was head boy, maybe."

"Sure thing, professor."

Draco clapped him on the back and gathered up the students into an orderly crowd. With his wand to his throat, he announced the plans for the Winter Ball, which again created a fervor of delighted giggles and tired moans.

"Professor, I need to go get more money if I'm going to be buying my dress robes!" One fourth year girl with plump, curly brown pigtails said, frantically.

"Who said anyone was asking you, Trappe?" a chorus of rude laughter followed, and the girl gasped and ran back into the castle.

"Mr. Vaughn, for that, you can ask Miss Trappe to the ball. Everyone stand back for the carriages now."

Draco swiveled his feet as someone tapped his shoulder and rolled his eyes. "Oh, Miss Weasley, what is it now?"

Gaby scoffed. "Hey, the ball was my idea. Can't you give me some credit?"

"What can I say? I guess you just don't have a voice in this school now, do you?" Draco teased. "Have you done the deeds?"

"I was thinking of telling Spence during Hogsmeade. Anyways, thanks for actually holding the ball. Have you spoken to my aunt? Is she coming?"

Draco gave her a small smile. "Yes. She is."

"And in the end, you never let me down." Gaby gave him a congratulatory punch on his arm. "Now I've got to find my bloody tutor and ask him to the ball before he throws a huff about me going with someone else again."

Gaby waved and pranced off, and watching her, Draco could barely conceal his grin. The smile of an unmistakably evil matchmaker. –insert eveel laughter here-.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ophelia wondered if she was really in the right condition to meet anyone but she had promised Spencer to meet him at Three Broomsticks and Ophelia Amoretti never broke her promises. However, as soon as she heard the door chime behind her and saw the look on Spencer's face, she wondered if she had made the right decision.

"Hey, Spence. What's up."

Spencer was staring at her, or maybe it was the space behind her, but toward her direction with the dirtiest look she had ever seen on his normally flawless countenance. He seemed repulsed, mortified, eyes bearing down with utmost shame.

"Hey, buddy, what is it?"

His silence petrified her. Her own tears she had tried so hard to obscure began pounding at her pupils, her own heartbeat rising faster and faster.

"You know."

"Why didn't you tell me, Ophelia? Do you know what I feel like?"

"It's old news. It's nothing important."

"You were a virgin! All those things I said to you. And you just let me go on and on and let me hurt you like that. I feel despicable. And dirty. And you let me feel that way."

"Like me saying anything would have made a difference. I got over it. I never even cared in the first place; it's not the first time someone had called me a whore. Bet my mother would have been proud. It's the past and it's over. Can we just not dwell on it and move on with what's happening _now_?" She said, slamming her hand down on the table, causing a few neighbor tables to glance over.

Spencer lowered his voice to a miserable whisper. "I can't just forget the fact that I said all that to you. If you'd had told me then, if you'd had stopped me from bashing you, I wouldn't- why didn't you tell me? I can't ever look at you the same anymore; I can't even look at myself the same anymore. Do you know how guilty this makes me feel?"

"Why feel guilty when I never felt hurt from what you said?"

Spencer scoffed, tore his eyes away from her and instead looked up at the ceiling. "You walked out on me. Obviously, you weren't having a blast listening to me. Why didn't you tell me? I can't go on like this, being your friend and all when I now know of all the verbal diarrhea I've spat at you."

"Fine." Ophelia grabbed her bag. "Fine. Just linger on something that happened months ago while in reality, right now, what's more important to me is the fact that I might not even be here after New Years."

"What are you talking about?"

Ophelia stood up now, no longer able to restrict her tears. "You thought I was hurt then? I'm hurt _now_. I'm hurt that you would accuse me intentionally meaning to make you feel like this. Can't you ever put anything beside? I may be a friend to you and I understand you can't deal with your own guilt at treating your friends like that. But you're more than just a friend to me and I guess I secretly hoped I was too. I guess I hoped that if you ever found out that I was a virgin, you would be able to get past it and move on and stay with me. But I guess not."

"What are you talking about?"

"The news is out, Spence. The man my mother brought to the ball leaked it." Ophelia pulled out a parchment she had shoved in her bag and slammed it on the table; it was a letter from her mother.

"Everyone in Italy probably knows by now that the king has an illegitimate child. Fortunately for you, my mother wants me to come back home."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Wow did I add in drama or did I add in drama.

Many things I'd like to address:

Number 1: Draco being a wimp for a month and coming back for forgiveness and being forgiven too easily.

I didn't mean for this to happen but as I was rereading this chapter (or trying to) I realized HE GOT OFF WAY TOO EASILY. WALK OUT FOR A WHOLE MONTH AND RETURN AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED? So here's my explanation. At first, it was only a month because I sort of wanted to get the story going because it was sort of… stuck on the first few months of school. So I made it … ONE MONTH LATER but I realized… I skipped too much. So, sorry guys. But you know, now I think about it, it's not a bad part of the story, y'know? Because you see that Ginny is willing to forgive him because she LOOOOOOVES him that much (OR DOES SHE I DON'T NOW I DON'T KNOW PUAHAHA PUAHAHAHA)

Anyways.

Number 2: Spencer's a wussy.

Spencer is sort of a wussy. And I realized that too while I was writing. I mean who gets all worked up and angry over something HE did. But anyways. I didn't change it because it's a fact. Spencer is naturally the sensitive, soft spoken, too-smart-for-his-own-good, socially awkward boy. And as you saw when he blew up at Ophelia after the banquet, he really treasures virginity, integrity, virtue, such and such. And so. Please don't be like. Why is Spencer Weasley such as wussy. Because he's just like that. So too bad. And I don't think he's too bad. If I like Spencer, so should you because I honestly hate wussy guys so therefore, SPENCER CAN'T BE A WUSSY.

S/O fight in a nutshell: Spence finds out Ophelia was actually a virgin when he yelled at her and practically called her a hoe after the ball and he's just feeling guilty and she's mad because she expected that even if he felt too guilty to face her anymore, the strength of their relationship would keep them going but she sees that it won't so she reveals why she wasn't even in any condition to fight him in the first place: she's going to Italy.

Number 3: What's happening with Anna.

This is a secret. (Actually not very important; it's not like there's some terrible shocking plot twister with her. I just don't know what's happening with her personally. So I can't tell you. Yup.)

Number 4: Is Draco evil.

About as evil as any matchmaker could be… VERY! PUAHAHAHA.

Number 5: Mike's real name.

This will be revealed in the next chapter. And many of you were getting the wrong idea… it's not because it's like super secret like his name is actually Tom Riddle or Voldemort… he just has a funny name. I just don't want people to be disappointed if they expected a major plot twister. Yeah. No. sorry… I'm not that creative.

Okay. That's all for now.

I love the feeling right after I submit a new chapter. I feel so… elated.

And if you guys haven't noticed the new way I write now, yeah. Good for you. Because I hate it. But I can't help it. Hawthorne has ruined my literacy. Don't ask how. After reading Scarlet Letter, everything I'm writing is just so… I don't know! Please deal with it for another 3 chapter or so and I'll try to tidy up my writing technique and style for my next story.

Thank you so much for sticking with this story for so long! Thanks and

PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW. I AM FEELING THE LOWEST OF LOWS THESE DAYS AND YOU ALL SEEM TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT PUTS A SMILE ON MY FACE.  THANKS GUYS.


	11. Serendipity

Hey y'all. There's a character that's going to be reintroduced in this chapter and I don't know if you remember. His name is Jeremy and I'll just clear up your memory:

"_Ah. Jeremy." Ophelia muttered, rolling her eyes. This "bad boy" gave himself the title of the "hot, sexy, highly wanted school bully" and marched through the corridors as if he owned them._

"_Hey, doll, missed me much?" he asked, grabbing Ophelia around her waist and leaning her down, devouring her lips. Spencer watched awkwardly, as his prefect partner was consumed whole by Jeremy. When he finally let go of her, she sighed, straightened out her shirt and glared at him._

"_20 points from Slytherin for harassing a prefect and I could take off more."_

_Jeremy smirked. "Oh, come on, you didn't use to care but now you're hanging around this prissy cat and got your knickers in a twist. Ah, well, at least you've started wearing them now." _

(Chapter 5)

Anyways, he'll be coming up again… didn't want to do this but gotta do what you gotta do, you know? Heh heh

Anyways, just to clear stuff up because it's not made very clear in this chapter...

Last chapter ended with Draco announcing the Winter ball and told Mike to ask Anna to "set an example." So he goes off to do so, without knowing that Gaby was set on asking Mike to the ball. Yup yup. So this chapter starts with her very pissed off. I WONDER WHY?

And… Ophelia's secret of being the illegitimate child of the Italian king is revealed and she has to go back to Italy… yup yup…

And Ginny and Draco separated last chapter on a pretty good note. She's still not sure about the marriage.

The chapter starts a bit long but it gets a lot better toward the end. enjoy!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Just look at them. That bloody hypocrite." Gaby muttered under her breath, pointing at Mike and Anna at the head's table during study hall, deeply absorbed in the Daily Prophet.

Spencer glanced up and returned to his essay. "I still don't get what he did to you. All he did was ask the head girl to the ball. Which makes sense, seeing that he's the head boy."

"That's not the problem, Spence. The problem is that he was allowed to make a huge hissy fit when I had a date to the ball and now he's practically thrown himself at Anna Jenkins like a bloody _hypocrite_." She emphasized the last word, and scribbled even harder onto her papers where she was drawing out plays for the upcoming game.

"Well, to be honest, he only threw a hissy fit because your date was a jerk who didn't deserve to be your date."

"Well if I'm the one at fault, why has he been ignoring me since yesterday when the professor announced the ball?"

"Maybe because you don't miss a chance to glare at him whenever you could?"

"Are you on my side or what? You know what else this man- or if I can even call him a man- did yesterday for our tutoring session?"

"He showed up, right?"

"Well, of course he did. He almost killed me the last time he didn't, remember? No, even worse, _he brought Anna Jenkins_. Seems he couldn't face me himself. That bloody wimp."

"Give it a rest, Gaby. They're heads. They do things together."

"The whole time, it's Anna this, Anna that. Why can't I be more like Anna? Why can't I study like Anna? Why can't I be the role model student like Anna?" 

"He's just trying to help. Go a bit easily on him, won't you? Your ego's just hurt because you basically got rejected to the ball. So what? Not every male in this school can go to the ball with you. I'm sure you can find someone… if it bothers you so, hell, I'll go with you."

"I'm going to say no for many reasons."

"I am rejected. Woe, my pain."

"First off, you're my brother. That's like incest. How pathetic would I look? Secondly, you'd be a horrible date. Thirdly, you know you fucked up with Ophelia and I'm not letting you hide from that."

"Oh, oh, oh, that's unfair. You're changing the subject."

"Oh, oh, and you're avoiding it. You know, I told you her secret to help you two get closer to each other. I didn't tell you so you can break all relations with her. I guess it's my fault I didn't see that coming, but nonetheless, even if you were angry over it, you're not allowed to let her just walk out like that after she tells you she's moving back to Italy."

"Well, it's too late now, isn't it? Word has it-"

"Hi, Spencer!"

The twins turned around and Spencer sighed exasperatedly. "Yes, Marissa?"

"I heard about what happened with, you know, that girl."

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't know?" Marissa pulled out an abused copy of the Daily Prophet. On the front page under the blaring headlines was a large flashing photo of Mrs. Amoretti maneuvering through a mob of paparazzi and media cameras, large sunglasses perched on her nose. On the side was a smaller moving picture of Ophelia, laughing and dancing at an event that was held at her mega-mansion a few years ago.

**The Secret Love Affair of King Raspucci. **

**The illegitimate love child of the Italian King to be a crowned princess?**

"Isn't this the girl who was with you two days ago at study hall? The whole school's going up in flames. No wonder where she got such audacity."

"What do you know of her, Marissa?" Spencer pushed, eyeing the newspaper.

"Everything that everyone in the school knows. Her being King Raspucci's child, her mother… the paper had it all. Fascinating isn't it? I heard she's taking the train home for winter break… and not coming back."

"Well. Well, Marissa, did you also happen to know that Ophelia Amoretti is a prefect; the best one at that too? She's the brightest witch in our year and if it weren't for her, the first banquet would have been an utter mess. Did you know she put up her dignity just to stay in this school? Now did you think that you telling me all this about her being an illegitimate child would make me not like her more? Did you even think that I didn't know already? Did you for one second imagine that I would respect you more than Ophelia after you talked to me? Did you even have the tenacity to dream of me ever looking at you the same way I looked at her?" Spencer grabbed his shoulder bag and nodded at Gaby to finish the job. Walking away, the last he ever saw of Marissa the Stalker was her bursting into a fountain of humiliated tears as Gaby leaned in and offered her a tissue.

He had determined himself as a mere platonic friend to Ophelia but now, he had come to face the reality that she was more than that; obviously, she knew it even before he did.

He cut his route toward his dorms and set off for his detour toward the Slytherin dormitories when he was cut rather rudely in his tracks by Jeremy. Jeremy, with his foolish, demented smile and dark, shady eyes, circled Spencer, chewing the last remains of his apple.

"How are you and Princess Amoretti going, Weasley?"

"Not a great time, Jeremy." Spencer said quickly, trying to pass by him but Jeremy held out his arm to stop him.

"Say, did you know about her being royalty? Is that why you stuck with the princess?"

"You're in my way."

"She must take after her mother, eh? The grandest whore of the school."

Spencer stopped trying to get past him and flicked his eyes up.

"What did you say?"

"Oh, ho, don't get too defensive on me. I'm not blaming you, mate. I'd do her anytime too."

"And who said she would sleep with you? Call her a whore; it's nothing I haven't done. But I'm sure no whore would stoop low enough for the likes of you, Jeremy. And keep in mind, Ophelia Amoretti is a prefect and your attitude toward her might just constitute in detention. Pity, I was sure you just finished your 3-month detention with Professor Malfoy."

Jeremy narrowed his eyes lewdly. "Aren't you just a sore bastard."

"Sure, sure. A sore bastard who will give you detention for another 3 weeks for harassing a prefect. I think that cuts into your winter break too. Bummer, isn't it? You were probably looking forward to that. But no worries, I'm sure there are first years around you can make victims of, seeing even the second years have learned to avoid you. You might get a kick out of them, though people now just call that plain pathetic."

Jeremy laughed harshly, swung back and smacked him squarely across the face, sending Spencer sprawling. Spencer moaned and sat up against the stone wall, the corner of his lip busted. Jeremy grabbed the collar of Spencer's school shirt and prepared to strike him once more when he heard sounds of quick footsteps drawing closer and he let go.

"Spencer, you owe me big time. I might just call you the school's biggest heartbreaker. She's just a small little girl, you know. Never knew you had fans so hard- what is this?"

Gaby had stumbled into their brawl, and her eyes took in the scene before her. Her brother, bloody and disgruntled and Jeremy standing before him, a dirty smirk playing on his lips.

"Pleasure to have you join us, Miss Weasley."

"What the bloody hell are you doing to my brother."

"Went totally off when I asked how it was going with that Amor- you hate your brother! You two are totally opposite! He has his nose stuffed up his books all the time but you, my feisty devil, are totally different."

"You're serious." Her palm smacked him across his face with a loud slap.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"Just because my brother and I are different does not mean that I will be able to stand here listen to you talk about how you beat up my brother."

"Oho. I can see the resemblance now. You both have a bloody wand up your arses when all you're both just hypocrites. You're nothing but a dumb jock. And your brother, well, he's sleeping with the Amoretti, the young one, I mean…"

Her fist collided with his cheek with twice the force that had hit Spencer. His nose began spurting blood and students began to gather around them watching. Fights rarely occurred in Hogwarts, but it has been a pattern that when that scarce fight occurred, it was normally Gaby Weasley behind it. She grabbed the collars of his shirt and punched him repeatedly, until he fell to the ground, his nose bloody and broken and his cheeks burst open.

"What the fuck, you whore!" He cried, his face already swollen.

She raised her hand again, enraged and no longer able to control herself, but someone caught her arm as she prepared to bring it down to Jeremy's face.

"What the bloody hell is going on?!"

Gaby glanced up, seeing the shiny Head Boy badge and stood up, quivering. Mike was still holding onto her arm, trying to drag her away from Jeremy who lay on the ground in a bloody mess.

"My brother… my brother might have done some of the stupidest, drunken things I have ever heard of. Yeah, he's got a witty tongue, way too quick for his head. Yeah. But he… every single FUCKING PERSON HERE RESPECTS HIM. And just in case you didn't know already, nobody gives a SHIT about you." She screamed. "And you… can't call me a whore until you've slept with me yourself." Pulling her arm sharply out of the grasp that Mike had on her, she stalked off, shoving students who were just in her way.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"You're meeting Dumbledore tomorrow after lunch." Mike said, stepping into the kitchens after having followed Gaby out.

"Okay." She was crouched in the corner, a steamy mug in her hand.

"Do you have any idea what you did, Gaby? You could be expelled."

"I see."

"Why did you do it?"

"I can't stand people like him."

"You beat him to pulp, Gaby. He could be in the hospital wing for days now. I'm sure that couldn't be the sole reason why you completely attacked him, or I'd be extremely disappointed in you."

"Then be disappointed. It's not like you've never been 'disappointed' in me before."

"What is wrong with you? Why did you do it?"

"Because that's what I am, Mike. I'm impulsive. And childish. And dumb."

"I've only known you for the past three months. But I know that you are more than just that."

"Oh, please, don't try to make me feel better. There are two things in the world that I can do and that's making coffee and playing quidditch. Speaking of coffee, could you pour me another cup? Right behind you. You can have some too; I made enough to feed the school."

Gaby gave him her mug which he filled up along with another cup for himself. Levitating the coffee to her, he sat down at the stool, examining the girl who sat bundled up on the ground across the counter from where he sat.

"What happened to that confidence you always had? What happened to that 'screw you, I'll kick your ass any day' attitude?"

"Well I did kick Jeremy's ass and I'm about to get expelled now, aren't I?"

"Gaby. What you did was very wrong and I don't want you going around picking fights again. But I will do everything in my power to keep you from being expelled. Shite, Gabs, this coffee is amazing."

"When there's much you can't do, you excel in what you can do. You wouldn't know. You excel in everything you do. But I'm exactly what Jeremy called me. A dumb jock. You just don't believe it because you never associate with girls who aren't the studious quiet types." 

"You can't say that."

"No? Look at Anna. You've been all goo goo ga ga over her recently. And she's one of the quietest, smartest, nicest girls I know. That's the kind of girl you would ever affiliate with."

Mike rested his head on his hand, stricken with hopelessness. "You know that's not true."

Suddenly, a thought came to him and he scrambled out of his seat and searched through all the cabinets.

Puzzled, Gaby stared with a small frown. "What's gotten into you?"

"Looking for- there it is." From the last, corner cabinet, Mike retrieved a box which he handled with ever so care and set it down on the counter, and transfigured two plastic apples into paper plates.

"What are you doing? What is that?"

"The most beautiful food in the world. My mother's apple pecan pie. She sent it to me just a few days ago."

Mike cut out two slices out from inside the pie-box and placed them on the plates. He carried one of them with a fork to her.

"Try it."

Gaby stared at the pie with bewildered bafflement.

"Wha…"

Mike shoved a forkful into her mouth which she clomped down on. He watched in slight amusement as she chewed, ever so slowly until she swallowed the remains of the sweetest caramelized apples and the freshest pecans.

"This is -"

He broke her off with a swift kiss on her sticky lips. She softened instantly. His mouth merely brushed hers at first, then longer and deeper as moments passed. He pulled back after a bit and grinned goofily at his pie.

"I'm sorry. I'm not exactly sure what I did but I know you were angry as hell- I mean nobody can avoid those glares. And you were probably feeling right down low about Jeremy and all, and I wanted to make it up to you."

"So you kissed me and gave me pie."

"Pretty much, yeah. It was killing me that you weren't speaking to me. I can't not be around you, Gaby. Your presence is what I need most. Not Anna's." Mike scooped another forkful of pie and shoved it in her mouth. "Now shut up and eat. You have a test to ace and a name to learn tomorrow."

Gaby took the plate and began devouring her pie. "I'm going to the ball solo, you know that?"

"What, you didn't have a line of half the male population waiting on you? Now that's the surprise of a century."

"I guess after I started hanging with you more, they've all been scared away. The only person who's asked me so far was my own brother."

"I would have asked you if I could have." Mike said slowly.

Gaby looked up. "You're going with Anna Jenkins."

"She's the head girl. It's an obligation of sorts."

"You know she's completely nuts about you."

"That's not true. She's a good friend. I respect her dearly."

She laughed. "You men are so oblivious sometimes. You have the most perfect girl completely cahoots over you and you don't even notice. I see the way she looks at you. Yesterday during the tutoring session? You were like sex to her eyes. I was surprised she didn't drool."

Mike shrugged. "How could you not with my devilishly good looks? But honestly, just because she might think I'm good looking does not mean she's 'completely cahoots' over me. I'm a bloody metamorphmagus! I look like what I want to!"

Gaby sighed. "Mike, the girl's in love with you. Get over it and do her in already."

"Did I ever tell you that you speak so vulgarly sometimes."

"Yadda, yadda, and I should study more. I've heard it all."

"Well you should. Anyways, I know you hate hearing me nag. How about another cup of coffee?"

As she reached out to hand her mug back to him, she got another idea. "How about not?"

"Then I'll just get one for mys-"

"No."

"…ooookay, then."

"No, we're going to Serendipity."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Spencer had limped his way out into the courtyard and sat down at the nearest bench. The gash on his cheekbone was long but not deep and it only stung if he opened his mouth too widely. He took a deep breathe and sighed, nothing a better remedy than a breath of fresh air. Students bumbled about to their classes, either chattering away the latest Winter Ball gossip or cramming the last dates of a History of Magic test.

He may have been the latter if it weren't for his current condition. No, he probably would have been in the classroom by now. But for some reason, he no longer felt any will to go to class. He merely sat staring, fascinated in how the world revolved around like so, how everyone's life was nobody's life and the secrets every eye held dear.

A white handkerchief dangled in front of him from above and Spencer craned his neck backwards to see an upside down-image of Ophelia Amoretti, possibly the most talked-of human being in the planet as of that moment.

She sat down next to him without a word, and stared out into the courtyard as well, the two of them secluded into the very side and easily invisible. But the new object of liking in Spencer's eyes was no longer the people but the person. The vivacity of her cobalt blue eyes, her long, thick lashes, her unruly raven locks of hair, and the faint delicacy of her bony structure fascinated him beyond delight. He no longer had words to tell her, nor the capability to listen.

"Your staring at me is quite unnerving, you know."

He was too captivated to respond and she waited patiently until he seemed to shake out of the moment and took the handkerchief in her hand and dabbed it to his cheek.

"I think I was angry at the fact that I had finally met someone more flawless than I was," he said, his eyes focused back at the courtyard.

She chuckled. "Maybe so."

"And I think I was so surprised what effect you had. How you could make me _care _so much."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere."

"Sometimes I'm an arse. Sometimes, I don't even know I'm being an arse."

"It's okay."

"You are really the brightest witch I know, Phelia."

"You're flattering me again."

"I don't think I ever really even knew you. I thought I did after we became friends. I thought I was seeing the 'real' you but even that wasn't enough. There's so much about you that people don't know and everyone has all the wrong ideas. I hate that."

"Well, where's the point in having them know now?" Ophelia asked, a sort of grim bleakness in her voice.

"When are you leaving?"

"I thought everyone knows that."

"I want to hear it from you. If you haven't noticed already, I'm not taking shit from anyone else about you," Spencer said, pointing at his scars.

"Right after the ball."

"What's going to happen to you?"

"Sent to the palace. They're adopting me in."

"And when you're a princess… you can't be a witch, can you?"

"Guess not."

"And I'll never see you again?"

"Very doubtful."

Spencer then jumped up from the bench and grabbed her hand. "Then what are we doing? We're wasting precious minutes!"

She tightened the Slytherin scarf around her neck and tried to let go. "You're out of your mind, Spence! We're missing class!"

"I have seriously rubbed off on you way too much," he said, dragging Ophelia along as he ran up the stairs of the castle.

She struggled at first, but let herself be dragged. "Where are you taking me?"

"Serendipity."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny refilled Draco's cup. "Do you have a life, Mr. Malfoy? Outside of this coffee shop and Hogwarts?"

He chuckled. "Not quite."

"Do you have any friends other than me?"

"Well… well… well, you know, Professor Binns is not nearly as boring as we used to think back in the days. He's got some fascinating stories to tell."

"Sometimes, I pity you like none other."

"No, really! Professor Binns is a very respectable man… ghost… oh, I'm pathetic."

"Just a little."

"And Hogwarts, oh Hogwarts. I wonder why the Dark Lord ever wanted a job at Hogwarts. What a place! All the professors are cold up, old croonies, and sleeping with the students would be… very wrong… And kids… kids everywhere… I hate kids!"

"But the kids love you! The twins never stop talking about you."

"Why didn't you stop me from taking the job? I don't even need this job! I'm making less money than I did with allowance at age 15."

"Listening to you rich, spoiled children fascinates me sometimes. Being a Hogwarts professor is of utmost pride and respect in this country."

"You know if it weren't for this coffee shop, I don't know what I would have done to myself already."

"You have to admit it, _professor, _Hogwarts is your _life_. What would you be doing if you didn't have this job?"

"Maybe sunbathing in the south of France, sipping fine champagne with an Australia model lathering me with lotion. That's what I would have been doing."

"It's the middle of winter. You would have been stuck alone at your mansion of a home playing chess next to the fireplace with your house elves, seeing you have no friends."

"Maybe that's true. Any word from the maybe future Mrs. Diggory about the wedding?"

"The wedding is… I don't know."

"You should make your decision quickly, Mrs. Diggory, because I'm getting an urge to kiss you."

"Well, you sure put me under pressure, don't you?"

Draco chuckled and sat back, examining his mug without meaning to. "Your coffee has made me a better person."

"That's a first."

"I just want you to know what whatever you decide to do with your bachelorette status, I'll always be a regular customer."

Ginny smiled with honest humility and mild surprise. "That was actually nice."

"Yeah. I have my moments."

"I've been thinking to just go along with the wedding."

"Why?"

"I don't know. All this time, I was so sure I'd say no, but these days, I just thought… hell, Gin, you're already past thirty. You only live once and I don't want to live in this coffee shop until I'm eighty and die a spinster. I just think what if Jake's my last chance to settle down, have a family and hell, maybe even kids?"

Draco scrunched up his face in disgust. "Why in the heaven's name would you ever want that?"

"I, unlike you, happen to love children. And also, the feeling of being loved is just… too great to give up. And maybe Jake is too naïve to really love me but he thinks he dos and that's enough for me."

"But the question is do you love _him_?"

"Maybe… maybe more out of sheer obligation but…"

Draco leaned over the counter, brought his face down to hers and kissed her. Compared to the fiery, passion his kisses once eluded to, this one was so simply elegant, and so off tangent that she was caught off guard at the utter tenderness. He gingerly toyed with her vivacious curls and stroked her cheek with such careful compassion she had not known he was capable of.

"Sorry to disrupt you lovebirds but we're hungry for some coffee." Gaby barged in with a somewhat triumphant grin plastered on her face with Mike right behind her, his awkward eyes beholding his head of house and professor.

"Hello, Miss Weasley. I've heard so much of you. She just gave me a cup of coffee that she brewed and when I was so amazed by it, she insisted that I try a cup from the true master."

Ginny flushed crimson and smiled weakly. "Yeah, sure. Anything in particular you'd like to try? A peppermint latte?"

"Sounds positively delicious."

"Say, you finally finished the latte?" Draco asked Ginny, now back in his seat, slightly embarrassed but also a wee bit smug after his head boy had just walked in on him delved in lip-to-lip action with the barista.

"Yes I did. I believe you were one of my first tasters, yes?"

Draco nodded in elated memories. "My first night I came here. Let me see how far you've gone."

"So, auntie, what's the update on the marriage with Dick-ory?"

"Gaby, that was very inappropriate. And for your information, now I'm leaning toward marrying him."

"_What_?!" Gaby gaped. "That's downright atrocious!" She faced her professor and pointed her long, accusatory finger at him. "You're _letting _her do this?"

"I'm not the one getting married. It's your aunt's decision."

"That's… I cannot accept this. Letting Dick-ory into the family is absolute sacrilege."

"I'm sure it can't be that bad… he's the minister's son after all… great benefits…"

"_He doesn't drink coffee_." Gaby whispered harshly.

Draco gasped. "WHAT?!"

Ginny sighed and poured out three peppermint lattes. "Please, Gaby, sit down. It's not a big deal."

"Now I disapprove." Draco said, shaking his head and reaching for his mug. "What _do _you see in that man?"

Gaby nodded fervently in agreement. "I'll say. I mean, I know he's better looking than professor, no offense, but really, if I were you, auntie, I'd choose professor. A much more… how do you say it… likable fella, you see?"

Mike chuckled, taking his own mug. "Isn't Jake Diggory the son of the minister? Highly adorned man. One of the most influential people in the ministry, right?"

Gaby slammed her drink down and turned to Mike sharply. "NO, Mike, we _hate _Diggory. Repeat after me. We hate Diggory," she said, in a military officer-esque manner.

Before Mike could be brainwashed, however, the door swung open and Spencer found his way into Serendipity with Ophelia, their breaths panting from running and cheeks rosy from the biting cold.

"Did I miss an invitation to a party here? What is this?"

"Auntie's going to marry Dick-ory." Gaby said quickly.

"What?!"

"It's not final yet, Spence. Don't listen to her."

Spencer ignored his aunt and pointed to Draco who was quietly drinking his peppermint latte in peace. "What have you _done_?!"

"Why is everything my fault?!" Draco exclaimed.

Ginny sighed, motioning for the two additions to sit. "No, it's not, Draco. Their imaginations just went a bit haywire."

Spencer nodded at Mike and sat down with Ophelia at the last two remaining stools on the counter. "And why aren't you in class?" he inquired Gaby.

"And why aren't you?" she retorted.

"Why aren't any of you in class?" Draco barked, trying to find authority over them again… as if he ever had any.

"Why aren't you?" Ginny asked him, a teasing grin playing at her lips.

The three of them remained silent and busily drank their lattes.

"I cannot believe I have never come across this coffee shop, Miss Weasley." Mike said, breaking the ice. "I never knew a single latte could be so… so…"

"Invigorating." Ophelia said, beaming. She held the warm mug with both her hands, defrosting them.

"Oh, you two are too kind."

"Auntie, you're coming to the game tomorrow, right?"

"Isn't there the ball tomorrow?"

"Well, yeah, but more importantly, the big game is tomorrow," Gaby said, rolling her eyes if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"It can't possibly be the last game, right? That's usually in February or March…"

"No… it's the game against Slytherin! You _must _watch. It's most _crucial _that you come."

"But we all know Gryffindor's going to win anyways so…"

"Hey! Have you _seen _the Slytherins this year? They've been undefeated!" Draco said, defending his house.

"That's because your house hasn't played Gryffindor yet."

"Ah, youth. Always so optimistic." Draco said, dramatically wiping away fake tears.

"Really, Mr. Malfoy, get real. When has Slytherin _ever _beaten Gryffindor?" Ginny asked, her old Gryffindor pride rising again.

"You make a good point, Weasley, but Hogwarts has changed since I became the Slytherin head."

"And what difference does that make to quidditch? The girls on the team are more than stimulated to win now to impress their new 'hot and hunky' head of house?" Gaby scoffed sarcastically.

Draco blinked a few times. "Well… yeah…"

She blanched. "That's sick!"

"Really, Miss Weasley, you must face the facts. Unless the generation of students has suddenly become three times smarter than before in Hogwarts, all the students have got the hots for me. I've never seen so much dedication in the subject of defense against the dark arts by the female gender in my life."

"Maybe because you and all your friends were… uh… death eaters?" Ginny suggested with a slightly joking smirk.

"That was harsh, Weasley, really, broke my heart it did."

The kids sniggered and the pure mirth they emitted dragged a lingering chuckle out of him.

Their jollity was cut abruptly by the third door swinging interruption of the day: Jake Diggory.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Now I can't possibly end the chapter like this!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Sorry to cut the fun short, but I have very important matters to discuss with my fiancé in privacy."

Gaby scoffed. "Fiance? You sure about that?"

Jake laughed forcedly. "You were always very funny, Gaby."

"And you were always an asshat, Jakey." Spencer muttered, just loudly enough for everyone to hear except oblivious Jake.

"And speaking of fiancé, guessing everyone knows already, I'd like to know if I really do have a fiancé or not. Ginny. It's been over a week and I can't wait this long for you to decide. How hard could it be?"

"Quite difficult, actually."

"What's so hard about it? Think about it… would you really choose that death eater over me? I could give you anything you ever wanted. I could make chains of this coffee shop all over Europe. You'd be famous. Everything."

"Draco Malfoy has nothing to do with this."

"No, of course he doesn't. Except maybe the fact that he is running around with you on little rendezvous trips to Egypt. Really, Ginny, what does he have to offer that I don't?"

"Maybe a brain?" Spencer mumbled, resulting in a warning smack on the arm.

"Well, then, Jake. You've really made this so easy on me. The twins and Draco… everyone's been telling me that you only proposed because you were scared of losing me to Draco Malfoy. And I so persistently disbelieved them because I thought maybe I would have a little faith in you."

"Ginny, you know I've loved you since the moment I met you. I just need to know what you think."

Ginny sighed exasperatedly and looked down at the counter. All five faces on the stools waited for her reply expectedly. Even Ophelia and Mike who were complete strangers to the situation seemed to catch onto the gist and stared with anticipation. Gaby's eyes were screaming 'NO!' and Spencer's contained such loathing toward Jake that Ginny even took a step back.

And Draco sat, staring at the wall next to him, unable to face her or Jake. His eyes seemed so distant and unfocused yet brimming with such cautiously concealed yet prominent hope.

"I think I'm not in love with you, Jake."

Jake looked stricken with alarm at first, and then nodded his way out quickly from the shop without a single word.

All was well.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ah, an end to the chapter that even surprised me. Normally, it was going to be quite different and she was going to say yes and Jake was going to take her to the ball and announce it to the whole school and Draco gets angry and etc and etc but I'll have to say, I'm more pleased with the way it worked out here. And sorry if you're offended that I uh stole the last three words of book 7. heh. Heh…. WORST EPILOGUE IN THE WORLD, BY THE WAY. But loved the book.

ANYHOW.

I've been watching so many 80's early 90's movies this week and there were some that really stuck out to me. And one of them was "Pretty Woman." I can't believe I haven't seen it before. Amazing, phenomenal movie. Anyways, I was thinking my next story would be based on it because being the fanfiction nerd I am, I kept thinking of how I could possibly incorporate Draco/Ginny into the Pretty Woman storyline. It's nuts huh? But I'm excited. I'll have to make it a bit AU but oh well.

ANYHOW

I'm so sorry that you still don't know Mike's real name. I was going to reveal it this chapter but it didn't seem right. Anyways, I'm not exactly sure how I could possibly end the story because is it just me or did this seem like the end? I guess you still have the thing with Ophelia moving away and Mike and Gaby still need to hook up FOR REAL and Draco and Ginny just really need to freaking put on glasses and see that they are madly in love with each other…

SO I GUESS THIS MEANS there's still on more chapter left and an epilogue!

ANYHOW

I know this chapter started out a bit long and uh… melodramatic etc, but I hope you enjoyed the end because I enjoyed writing it a lot. And I know you might be getting sick of this story already so here's my plea for you to PLEEEASE stick with the story until the end! You guys have no idea how incredibly grateful and thankful I am for all of you readers and especially REVIEWERS for seriously making my day every day. I'm a horrible writer to deal with because I'm lazy with my updates and etc so I love you all so much for sticking with the story up to now! Thanks guys! Just remember there's just 1 chapter & epilogue to go!

I am ever so thankful! I love you all and review, review, review!

-Yours truly

p.s. I don't think I'll be naming chapters after peet's blends anymore. I've sort of uh, run out. Heh, heh, hope you don't mind. If it bothers you, uh, email me or something… yeah… okay…


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